Anthropology 2

“Introduction to Cultural Anthropology”

Spring 2008

Casey Walsh

Lecture 4/25/2008

Race, Ethnicity, Inequality and Rights

Review of 4/23

• Race is a social/cultural phenomenon

Perceived biological difference

• Ethnic/racial identities formed within specific conditions

Lecture Outline

• The socioeconomic construction of race/ethnicity in:

South Africa during apartheid

USA

Mexico

• Human rights and the struggle against oppression

South Africa During Apartheid

• Society organized to identify and separate “races”
• Racial groups defined legally

Courts had to decide

• Racial groups separated, socially, economically, culturally, geographically, politically (citizenship)

South Africa under Apartheid

• Many grey areas
• Since elections in 1994, apartheid no longer the legal form of government
• social inequality, segregation persists

USA

• Historically a slave society

white/black dynamic

• Definition of races: hypodescent

“one drop rule”: any non-white ancestry removes an individual from whiteness

- functions to separate “races”, classes

• Income distribution
• Inequality by Race/ethnicity

Percent of population living in poverty

Mexico

• Historically a few Europeans dominating many Native Americans (Spaniards and Indians)

- slavery also in plantation zones

• Not just black and white
• Mestizaje
• Colonial society maintained an elaborate classification system

To keep up with mestizaje

• Each group had different rights and responsibilities
• Status tied to racial identification
• Castas
• Racial categories (castas) not recognized officially after independence.
• Liberalism: everyone is a citizen
• The categories live on in language and perception

Moreno, prieto, guero, gente bonita.

• Some stereotypes are accepted

Mimin Pinguin

Negrito

• Income Inequality
• Income and Education, Mexico

Human Rights

• One framework for opposing social inequality based in race and ethnicity
• United Nations 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
• Article 2: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.”

Liberalism and its Critics

• Liberal philosophy insists on the universality of human rights held by individuals.

Key element of modernity

• Other cultural traditions:

Islamic law

• Many governments profess allegiance to the principles of human rights, but fail to comply or enforce compliance
• Liberalism can also make it hard to combat oppression and social inequality organized along lines of race and ethnicity
• Liberalism limits political projects of groups