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AAAs Race Project for Scholars
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Goban View Drop Down
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Posts: 581 		  Quote Goban Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: AAAs Race Project for Scholars
    Posted: 28-Nov-2006 at 04:45
The American Anthropological Association has developed a project on race and human variation. It is a collaborative effort of many disciplines to create "an integrated, comprehensive and learner-focused, interactive educational program" (raceproject.aaanet.org).
 
I don't have enough time to go through it right at the moment, but this is a good place to begin our discussions...Wink
 
 
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Posts: 581 		  Quote Goban Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05-Dec-2006 at 05:18
Race is a controversial topic. It is one that is avoided by many and moderators cringe at every thread opened under this subject. However, I opened this thread to discuss the project and its implications.
 
 
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Posts: 952 		  Quote Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05-Dec-2006 at 06:17
A couple of weeks ago Channel 4 did a TV to discredit anthropological research like this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Content/displayPrintable.jhtml?xml=/global/2006/11/05/svgenetic05.xml&site=22&page=0

    

Edited by Paul - 05-Dec-2006 at 06:28
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Posts: 581 		  Quote Goban Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06-Dec-2006 at 04:16
Thanks for the link Paul. But the AAA's project is not to determine individual's ancesrty. Its purpose is to educate people about race, racism and the truth about human genetic variation.
 
 
 
"Race is a powerful concept that shapes how one sees others and is seen by others, yet the public poorly understands what race is and inherent assumptions and misconceptions about race affect scientific and scholarly research. To clarify what race is and what race isnt, the American Anthropological Association (AAA), with its sections, members and other science and humanities organizations, is developing an integrated, comprehensive and learner-focused, interactive educational program on Understanding Race and Human Variation. AAA has received grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Ford Foundation totaling nearly $4 million to develop and produce a traveling museum exhibit, a website, and educational materials.

Looking through two lenses, the sciences and humanities, the RACE Project will help individuals understand the origins and manifestations of race and racism in everyday life, and come to their own conclusion that human variation is a part of nature and that race is not inevitable nor a part of nature but a dynamic and sometimes harmful cultural construct. The project will encourage appreciation and respect for human commonality and difference, and will seek to promote an informed dialogue among scientists and scholars, individuals, families, communities and institutions. The proposed program will reach learners of all ages, interests, and backgrounds with special outreach to teenagers, families, and underserved communities" (website, under about the project).  

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Posts: 6003 		  Quote Cywr Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Dec-2006 at 04:09
Originally posted by Paul

A couple of weeks ago Channel 4 did a TV to discredit anthropological research like this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Content/displayPrintable.jhtml?xml=/global/2006/11/05/svgenetic05.xml&site=22&page=0


I missed that program, but have heard about it.
However, the program achieves very little other than to allow people to feel smug and laugh at some people who seem very concerned about purity (though makes no attempt to differentiate between genetic and cultural 'purity'). The only thing it discredits is the reputation of a few little Englanders.
Oh, and they missed the gold mine, the royal family. Or maybe channel4 is saving that for the lame "we're all migrants" episode?

a lawyer campaigning to have the English accepted as an ethnic group


What exactly is the problem with this? It is an ethnicity as well as a nationality, but some people seem to get all unconfortable when its brought up. There is a box for 'Pakistani' under ethnicity on the census form, why can't be one for English? It would male non-Anglo whites visible too which would be a nice change.


Edited by Cywr - 10-Dec-2006 at 04:45
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Posts: 581 		  Quote Goban Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Dec-2006 at 04:59

One problem is that ethnicity is a social construct that is dependant on many variables. One may identify oneslef as a member of a certain ethnicity but then have to ask his or her neighbors if they agree. 

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Posts: 6003 		  Quote Cywr Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Dec-2006 at 05:23
So no-one has an ethnicity then?

As it is the census form (in the UK) has people with ethnicity boxes, there is even a move towards having ethnicity boxes for non-anglo whites (Irish has been there a while, some more have been added, and with the present flux of East-European migration to the UK, more are surely to follow), so why not have English?
Or are we supposed to believe that English is a culture without a people or something?
As it is now, 'white' in the British context is Anglo-centric, you might as well label it properly.
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