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Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race or ethnicity over another. [1] [2] [3] It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against other people because they are of a different ethnic ...
The word "race", interpreted to mean an identifiable group of people who share a common descent, was introduced into English in the 16th century from the Old French rasse (1512), from Italian razza: the Oxford English Dictionary cites the earliest example around the mid-16th century and defines its early meaning as a "group of people belonging to the same family and descended from a common ...
The Spanish sociologist Ramón Flecha instead used the term "postmodern racism". [6] Étienne Balibar's concept of "neo-racism" was an early formulation of what later became widely termed "cultural racism". The term "racism" is one of the most controversial and ambiguous words used within the social sciences. [7]
In essence the term refers to one who places racism squarely in the past. Whiteness is a vague racial-socio-economic category that has shifted definition over time. In the early-mid 20th century the category of whiteness was expanded to include people of Irish , Slavic , Greek , Jewish , and various other backgrounds which had previously been ...
For example, the Population Registration Act, 1950 was used to enforce the apartheid system in South Africa, and Brazil has set up boards to assign a racial category to people for the purpose of enforcing racial quotas. [7] Because of genetic variation, skin color, and other features of physical appearance can vary considerably even among siblings.
Racism has been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices, and actions (including violence) against racial or ethnic groups throughout the history of the United States. Since the early colonial era , White Americans have generally enjoyed legally or socially-sanctioned privileges and rights that have been denied to members of various ethnic ...
Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate actions which are intended to create equal opportunities for all people on both an individual and a ...
There are many examples of racism and discriminatory practices during the colonial period, such as the allocation of rations during the Siege of Ladysmith: [95] For Whites—Biscuit, 1/4 lb.; Maize meal, 3 oz. For Indians and Kaffirs—Maize meal, 8 oz. Europeans—Fresh meat, 1 lb. Kaffirs—Fresh meat, 1-1/4 lbs. (Chiefly horseflesh.)