What is different today than in, say, 1945 is the way in which we have a much more fluid understanding of race, says Joseph. Shes referring to our ever loosening attachment to the strict red, yellow, brown, black and white racial categories conceived of by 18th-century German scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, whose now debunked idea of natural divisions provided the basis for those who would push for biology-based racism. Today we know theres nothing scientific about dividing up humans this way. Alongside that understanding has come an increasing openness, as the countrys self-identified multiracial changing face of America skyrockets, to letting people describe themselves. In an implicit acknowledgment that this is all highly subjective, Pew queried Americans in 2009 about how they mostly see President Obama—mixed-race or black. There was little consensus, and thats no surprise. An extreme example of how muddy this can get: A self-confessed white supremacist attempting to launch an all-white community in North Dakota made headlines when it was revealed that he had 14 percent sub-Saharan African ancestry. (DNA tests can reveal the geographical origins of ancestors, a piece of information that is, contrary to popular belief, not the same as race.) Today, when it comes to what heritage means for identity, there are, in Miletskys words, so many more options.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Jun 2014 10:16:19 +0000
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