CRITICAL RACE THEORY – RACIALIZATION – THE RACIALIZATION PROCESS

WHAT DOES “CRITICAL” MEAN-DO? {BRACKETS CONCEPT}

HOW MANY RACES DO YOU THINK EXIST?

[[CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS AN ATTEMPT TO THEORIZE RACE AND USE IT AS A TOOL FOR UNDERSTANDING PATTERNS OF POWER AND INEQUALITY]]

WHY RACIALIZATION INSTEAD OF RACE?

IN A SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE:

RACE IS NOT A “THING IN ITSELF” == BUT RATHER == “A SOCIAL PROCESS” =====> “NOT A PERSON” == BUT RATHER == “A PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS”

DIFFICULTIES ARISE WHEN THINKING IN TERMS OF "RACE". THE USE OF THE TERM IMPLIES THAT RACIAL PURITY EXISTS -- AS IF THERE IS A CLARITY, EXACTNESS TO BIO-PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC. {I.E. AS IF I AM THE SAME AS THE GUY FROM LOUISIANA}

EX: (1) ALTHOUGH WE MAY ASSUME THAT WE CAN DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF "RACE", BIOLOGY WOULD CONFIRM THAT MOST CANADIANS, LIKE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD, ARE GENETICALLY MIXED.

(I.E., BARAKA OBAMA IS COUSIN OF DICK CHENEY???)

(IN FACT, MOST SCHOLARS ARGUE THERE ARE NO "PURE" RACIAL TYPES (BIOLOGICAL UNITS) IN THIS WORLD.

IN FACT, MANY SOCIAL SCIENTISTS SUGGEST THAT THE CONCEPT OF "RACE" IS REALLY A MYTH -- (RACE IS REALLY A INVIDIOUS STATUS DISTINCTION).

SOCIOLOGICAL STIPULATION: THE CONCEPT OF IT MAY BE A BIOLOGICAL MYTH — BUT — IT IS A SOCIAL REALITY {IT IS REAL IN ITS CONSEQUENCES

{SO} SOCIOLOGICAL STIPULATION: BECAUSE THE CONCEPT OF “RACE” IS (1) SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED AND HAS INTERACTIONAL CONSEQUENCES; AND (2) IT IS TIME AND SPACE CONTINGENT; AND (3) THESE CONTINGENT CONSTRUCTS ARE ATTRIBUTED/ATTACHED WITH STATUS AND MEAN ======> MANY SOCIOLOGISTS THINK IT IS MORE PRECISE TO REFER TO “RACIALIZED INDIVIDUALS”

======> MANY SOCIOLOGISTS PREFER TO USE THE TERM RACIALIZATION AS OPPOSED TO RACE IN ORDER TO EMPHASIZE THE FACT THAT RACIAL CATEGORIES ARE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONS THAT CHANGE IN TIME AND SPACE AND CIRCUMFERENCE, AND ARE ATTRIBUTED WITH STATUS AND MEAN}

CONSIDER RACIAL AMBIGUITY

IF WE THINK ABOUT “RACIAL AMBIGUITY” IN OUR MIXED-GENETIC LIVES IT IS MUCH EASIER TO UNDERSTAND HOW ETHNO-RACIAL CATEGORIES ARE SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED.

EX: TIGER WOODS - MOTHER IS ONE-HALF CHINESE AND ONE-HALF THAI, AND HIS FATHER HAD ONE WHITE, ONE NATIVE, AND TWO BLACK GRANDPARENTS. (WHAT IS HE? FUZZY ZEOLLER - FRIED CHICKEN AND COLLAR GREENS).

******WHILE RACE IS TREATED AS A “REAL THING” IN EVERYDAY LIFE – IN ACTUALITY RACE IS A PROCESS OF RACIALIZATION ======> REFERS TO THE ASSIGNING OF RACIAL CONNOTATIONS {LABELS & STIGMAS} TO THE ACTIVITIES OF MINORITY PEOPLE.

TO SEE RACE IS ENGAGE IN A THOUGHT PROCESS WHICH BIOLOGIZE PEOPLE BY ATTACHING STATUS TO THE PHYSICAL.

PEOPLE ARE THE SUBJECTS AND OBJECTS OF "RACIALIZED FORMATIONS" -- MEANING -- PEOPLE DO NOT SEE "RACE"; RATHER THEY OBSERVE CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF REAL AND SOMETIMES IMAGINED SOMATIC [OF THE BODY] AND CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS THAT THEY ATTRIBUTE MEANING TO WITH THE IDEA OF "RACE".

A DIFFERENCE IN SKIN COLOUR IS NOT ESSENTIAL TO THE PROCESS OF "MARKING" HERE -- IT ACTUALLY GOES BEYOND THE BIOLOGICAL RACE IS A SOCIAL PROCESS OF ATTRIBUTING SUPERIOR- INFERIOR STATUS === THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS OF EXPLOITATION, CONTROL, AND EXCLUSION GROUNDING THE DIFFERENCES OF RACE, AND GIVING RISE TO (THE IDEOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTION OF) "THE RACIALIZED OTHER"

MY ARTICLE AFRICAN CANADIANS IN 80S

{{{AGAIN, MANY SOCIAL SCIENTISTS SUGGEST THAT THE CONCEPT OF "RACE" IS REALLY A MYTH -- (RACE IS REALLY A INVIDIOUS STATUS DISTINCTION).}}}

RACE IS A POLITICAL ECONOMIC CONSTRUCT ==è THIS MEANS THAT IT IS NOT A “THING-IN-ITSELF” PER SE BUT AN INTERACTIONAL POWER DYNAMIC

EX: THE CONCEPT OF RACE IS ONLY IN EXISTENCE BECAUSE OF RACISM -- THE ACQUISITION OF POWER AND STATUS -- "POLITICS OF DOMINANCE AND DOMINATION" -- CREATES "STATUS AND STATUS ANXIETY".