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Is Race a True Premise of Racism?
This publication is protected by copyright. Check the terms of use in the publication description.
This publication is protected by copyright. Check the terms of use in the publication description.

Title: Is Race a True Premise of Racism?

Creator:

Cichá, Martina

Date issued/created:

2010-2011

Resource type:

Text

Subtitle:

Ethnologia Polona 31-32 (2010-2011)

Publisher:

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology Polish Academy of Sciences

Place of publishing:

Warszwa

Description:

24 cm

Type of object:

Journal/Article

Abstract:

The author presents various arguments from the history of mankind, but also from our contemporary era – pointing at the relation of the majority of society toward minorities in an effort to prove that a racial pedigree is not the real source of racism. She points to the fact that for centuries the source of racism was not “the other race” but otherness, being different, human variations whether physical or socio-cultural (e.g., different religion), but also all kinds of political interests and interests of power. The term “race” as we understand it today appears as late as during the era of biological thinking of the 18th century. Various theories about race, and later, also racist theories, came to existence when the original and purely biological concept of race was substituted with sociological and psychological creations of human culture, and linguistic affinity began to be associated with distinct anthropological features. The real cause of racism is, however, diversity and the xenophobia that results from it – the fear of the alien, unknown, or somehow different. Xenophobia should not be denounced outright because it is, to a certain degree, natural even desirable for each individual. It is a form of self-defence. We are able to begin observing the signs of racism after the natural threshold of xenophobia is exceeded, after our fear of something alien or different leads to contempt, or even hate, of a foreigner. From there, it is only a small step to physical persecution. In the conclusion of the article, the author emphasizes the need to see human races in a purely “biological sense”, free of the “superstructure” attached to them by the racists. Only then it would be possible to take a serious stance on the issue of the human race or races and reject their classifications, and do so without a stubborn effort to stereotype the humankind and deny its diversity. The author puts even greater emphasis on the need to educate the public about tolerance of diversity, which she considers to be the most effective means of fighting against racism

References:

Augeneder Silvia, 2001, Jak se z jiného stává cizinec? [in:] Lidská práva proti rasismu, ed. T. Machalová, Supplement, Brno, pp. 64–66
Bocheński Jósef Maria ,2000, Slovník filosofických pověr, Academia, Praha
Cichá Martina, 2002, Připravenost studentů pedagogických fakult v České republice na výchovu proti rasismu, Pedagogika, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 76–89
Cichá Martina, 2003, Determinanty rasismu a xenofobie z pohledu současné antropologie a jejich význam pro pedagogickou praxi (thesis). College of Education, Palacky Univerzity, Olomouc, pp. 115–163
Dacík Tomáš, 2001, Člověk a rasa, Academy Publishing House CERM, Brno
Finkielkraut Alain, 1993, Destrukce myšlení, Atlantis, Brno
Giddens Anthony, 1999, Sociologie, Argo, Praha
Chmelík Jan, 2001, Extremismus a jeho právní a sociologické aspekty, Linde, Praha
Kladivová Vlastimila, 1994, Konečná stanice Aushwitz – Bierkenau, Palacky Univerzity, Olomouc
Lévi Strauss Claude, 1997, Race et histoire, Denoël, Paris
Salajka Milan, 1967, Rasy a rasismus ve světě, People’s Democracy, Praha
Schwingerová Mária, 1993, Poznámky k antisemitizmu. [in:] Časoděj. Půlročník pro reflexi minulosti, přítomnosti a budoucnosti, Vol. 0, No. 0, p. 18
Todorov Tzvetan, 1996, Dobytí Ameriky: problém druhého, Mladá fronta, Praha
Tolimatová Jarmila, 1998, O lidských rasách a rasismu z hlediska antropologie [in:] Výchova k toleranci a proti rasismu, ed. T. Šišková, Portál, Praha
Wieviorka Michel, 1998, Le racisme, une introduction, La Découverte, Paris
Rasismus a nacionalismus v současném životě. Příručka pro školy a veřejnost 1997, IPPP ČR, Praha
Romové v evropských zemích (Romanies in European Countries), 2003, http://romove.radio.cz/cz/clanek/18884

Relation:

Ethnologia Polona

Volume:

31-32

Start page:

49

End page:

56

Detailed Resource Type:

Article

Format:

application/pdf

Resource Identifier:

oai:rcin.org.pl:61367 ; 0137-4079

Source:

IAiE PAN, call no. P 366 ; IAiE PAN, call no. P 367 ; IAiE PAN, call no. P 368 ; click here to follow the link

Language:

eng

Digitizing institution:

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Original in:

Library of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Access:

Open

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