Race as biology is fiction, racism as a social problem is real: Anthropological and historical perspectives on the social construction of race

Smedley, Audrey; Smedley, Brian D.

doi:10.1037/0003-066x.60.1.16

Cited by 1,265Race, Genetics, and SocietyMedical History and ResearchRacial and Ethnic Identity Research

Race as biology is fiction, racism as a social problem is real: Anthropological and historical perspectives on the social construction of race

Smedley, Audrey, Smedley, Brian D.·2005·American Psychologist

DOI 10.1037/0003-066x.60.1.16

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Abstract

Racialized science seeks to explain human population differences in health, intelligence, education, and wealth as the consequence of immutable, biologically based differences between "racial" groups. Recent advances in the sequencing of the human genome and in an understanding of biological correlates of behavior have fueled racialized science, despite evidence that racial groups are not genetically discrete, reliably measured, or scientifically meaningful. Yet even these counterarguments often fail to take into account the origin and history of the idea of race. This article reviews the origins of the concept of race, placing the contemporary discussion of racial differences in an anthropological and historical context.

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Authors: Smedley, A., & Smedley, B. D.
Affiliations: Virginia Commonwealth University (US)
National Academy of Medicine (US)
Venue: American Psychologist
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Published: 2005
Volume: 60
Issue: 1
Pages: 16-26
ISSN: 0003-066X (ISSN-L)
1935-990X
DOI: 10.1037/0003-066x.60.1.16
OpenAlex: W2003122412
Cited by: 1,265
References: 110
Citations by year: 2026: 60 · 2025: 87 · 2024: 107 · 2023: 126 · 2022: 110 · 2021: 97 · 2020: 67 · 2019: 102 · 2018: 62 · 2017: 44 · 2016: 50 · 2015: 46 · 2014: 42 · 2013: 43 · 2012: 55
FWCI: 15.16
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: American Psychologist (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Race, Genetics, and Society
Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Medical History and Research
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
Keywords: social construction of race, racism, history of race concepts, genetic diversity, human genome
MeSH terms: Anthropology, Culture, Humans, Prejudice, Social Perception, Biomarkers, Racial Groups

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Race as biology is fiction, racism as a social problem is real: Anthropological and historical perspectives on the social construction of race

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