ABSTRACT
“Race” is used generally as a means of classifying humans. It is believed that the word entered the English language in the fifteenth century, but despite this longevity, the term still has varying meanings in popular and academic discourse. Few social science concepts are as controversial as “race” and its related term, racism. Over the years, “race” has acquired a variety of connotations: as a subspecies of homo sapiens (e.g. the “Mongoloid race”); as a synonym for an entire species (e.g. the “human race”); until recently, as a group with a common cultural background (e.g. the “Jewish race”); and as a group that defines itself, or is defined by others, as having common physical characteristics such as skin pigmentation or hair color.
