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Biologically speaking, there is no such thing as race. Yet this seems to contradict the experiences of people in the United States and other countries where racial classification is used daily, by individuals and institutions. Race still matters, whether in wealth accumulation, educational achievement, health, the legal system, or in personal safety. How can race not be real when we experience its effects every day?
Mukhopadhyay, Henze, and Moses systematically deconstruct the myth of race as biology and address the reality of race as a cultural invention, drawing on biocultural, historical, and cross-cultural anthropological perspectives. In doing so, they shed light on the intricate interplay among race, biology, culture, power, and stratification. Part I, “The Fallacy of Race as Biology,” unravels the myth that races are biologically valid divisions of humanity. Part II, “Culture Creates Race,” explores race as a social construction; the emergence ofthe racial worldview as ideological justification for inequality; and how social processes, especially restrictions on interracial sex and marriage, maintained visible markers of racial hierarchy. Part III, “Contemporary Issues,” examines current manifestations of racial stratification including the educational achievement gap, health disparities, and how the language of race embodies and reinforces a racial worldview.
New to this Edition:
· New Chapter 11, “Unpacking the Health Consequences of Racial Stratification,” explores the continuing impacts of the racial worldview on race-related health disparities, using the COVID-19 pandemic, maternal health and “weathering,” and exposure to environmental toxins as case studies
· New Chapter 12, “Dismantling the Racial World View,” explores racial ideology, including language, and offers alternative approaches to racial language dilemmas.
· Updated and expanded discussion of human evolution includes contemporary critiques and alternative scenarios of long-standing models of human evolution and emphasizes our collective African roots.
· Updated and expanded coverage of genomics, DNA, epigenetic processes, and the enormous human variability at the molecular level, all challenging “nature” versus “nurture” models of how we become who we are.
· New data on immigrants, languages, religions, socio-economic and regional racial-ethnic patterns, interracial marriage and other trends explores contemporary diversity in the United States and suggests traditional racial ideology and categories are becoming obsolete.
Published | Mar 12 2025 |
---|---|
Format | Hardback |
Edition | 3rd |
Extent | 334 |
ISBN | 9781538190876 |
Imprint | Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |
Illustrations | 7 BW Photos, 12 Tables |
Dimensions | 9 x 6 inches |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Invaluable for anthropologists of education, addressing their students' questions clearly, with crucial historical detail.
Kathryn Anderson-Levitt Emerita, University of Michigan–Dearborn
Today, more than ever, we need clear information supporting deep questioning and thoughtful dialogue related to issues of race in our society, our history, and the world. How Real is Race is an essential resource to meet that need.
Mica Pollock, University of California, San Diego
Race is not biology, but race is very real. This lived, felt, and powerful conundrum is beautifully and effectively explained in this book. With real data, engaging prose, concise conclusions, and key conceptual points at the end of each chapter, this book is a state-of-the-art accessible, meaningful, and effective discussion of what race is, what it is not, and how we can use that information to make a difference. Whether a teacher, student or a member of the general public, anyone interested in understanding what race is, is not, and why that matters, should read this book.
Augustín Fuentes, Princeton University
How Real Is Race? is one of the most essential books about the intersections of race, racism, and human diversity. The authors' thoughtful, proven exercises help readers to think more profoundly and synthetically. I hope this new, updated edition is read and used widely by teachers, students, and everyone else.
Alan H. Goodman Ph.D., Professor Hampshire College, former president of the American Anthropological Association
Race is the elephant in the room of American social life. In this masterful work, the authors continue their work of dismantling racial misconceptions and explaining how they act to influence society through false racial notions in culture, education, and health. This book provides us with a program to usher the elephant out the door. This is a critical read for our times.
Joseph L. Graves Jr., author of Racism, Not Race: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
How Real Is Race? is destined to be a leading anthropology text. It deepens our understanding of race and racism and clarifies many current debates over topics such as immigration, affirmative action, and even evolution. At a time when racism is resurgent in United States and beyond, this work explains key issues and themes in a very accessible and commonsense way and also draws on the most advanced knowledge from both the social and biological sciences. This valuable and much-needed teaching tool is highly recommended for adoption!
Howard Winant, University of California Santa Barbara
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