Validity of the Concept of Race

The term ‘race’ has been employed throughout Western history as a way to categorize difference in society and to justify exploitation of certain groups by the powerful. Scholars in the field of sociology question the validity of the concept and term ‘race’ in academic analysis. Miles and Satzewich argue that the use of categories employed by the racists to categorize and oppress, reproduces the myths and fallacies that ‘justifies’ oppression. As well, since the 1960’s there has been a change in the discourse that racializes groups of people. Solomos, find that the discourse of racialization can be powerful even without the explicit use of ‘race’ and blatant racist remarks. The impact of academic discourse on ‘common sense’ knowledge and the inconsistency of the meaning associated with the word ‘race’ challenges sociologists to examine the discourse of racism.

In “Conceptualizing Racism”, Satzewich petitions for the abandonment of the term ‘race’ in sociological analyses of racism. He challenges the category of ‘race’ and establishes the elastic mutability of the concept. Maintaining the fallacy of biological base for hierarchy of races, he examines the evolution of the idea of ‘race’, tracing the variability of

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” (Solomos et al 31) This challenges the sociologist to reconceptualize the issues of racism without the category of ‘race. the term from difference of class, culture, appearance, language, biology and social construct. “The Organic Crisis of British Capitalism and Race: Experience of the 70s.

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Miles, Robert and Rudy Torres. rendering them subject to specific spheres of con!

trol and repression” (Miles 38. Satzewich argues that us!

ing the term is more damaging than not, as the political implications of the using the term give status to racial agendas. Although scientific communities have disproved the validity of a category of’ ‘race’, the concept of race as biological in ‘common sense’ knowledge persists. Equally important is to address problems of racialization not as individuals against ind!

ividuals but as group action that is often institutional. The challenge is to reorganize how we think about racism and racialization and develop understanding of the implications of certain language. However, to paraphrase Omi and Wittant, (two prominent sociologists in academic discourse on racism) “How can you not use the concept of race when the category has impacted the history of experience of billions of people?” and “Racial identity is psychologically important to individuals.

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