I think writing about racial diversity is pretty easy. But with the division of humanity into races, such an unpleasant phenomenon as racism arose. I believe that it has no place in the life of a civilized person, however, in order not to fall under its influence, it is necessary to have an understanding of this theory.
Let me immediately make a reservation that this theory is recognized as pseudoscientific, and in many countries its popularization (or even expression of sympathy) is a criminal offense. Racial theory is a set of hypotheses that prove the superiority of one race over another simply based on innate characteristics. The classical sciences used to justify superiority are:
Indeed, these sciences have long established differences for certain races, but they do not prove the superiority of one race over another.
For example, the shape of the skull in representatives of the Negroid and Caucasian races is different, but this does not mean that there are fewer brains in the skull of an African than in the skull of a European. And racism claims this in all seriousness.
Most of all in the world is known about black racism, that is, about the superiority of the white nation over the Negroid nation. However, few people know that in Tibet, racism flourished right up to the beginning of the twentieth century. Any white person there was considered an inanimate object, because he was tall, and it was believed that enlightenment could not descend on him. But at one time, Caucasians spread racism so widely and for a long time that now all other races are overly concerned with their individuality and the fight for their rights. Today it is believed that white racism by definition does not exist and all races except Caucasians can be oppressed. This theme is now being introduced into cinema.
One film with the title “White Men Can’t Jump” is worth it. However, even there it is proven that not only African Americans can play basketball.
The genus Homo appeared 2-2.5 million years ago. All representatives of Homo have the same anatomy, physiology, and psyche. However, with the development of civilizations and the settlement of mankind, human races began to appear and change.
Race is a group of people formed under the influence of the environment. As a result of adaptation to certain conditions, distinctive features began to be inherited.
Races differ in phenotype, i.e. appearance. These differences developed over several tens of thousands of years. The main features by which one race differs from another:
Rice. 1. Different eye shapes.
Beneficial changes in appearance help to survive and better adapt to climatic and geographical conditions. A few examples:
One of the important conditions for the emergence of races is territorial isolation and the exclusion of the possibility of interracial marriages.
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Traditionally, there are four distinct races. The description is given in the table “Human Races”.
|
Race |
Signs |
Settlement |
|
Negroid |
|
Africa, Latin America, West Indies |
|
Mongoloid (Asian-American) |
|
Central and Eastern Asia, North America |
|
Australoid (Veddo-Australoid) |
|
Australia, South and Southeast Asia, Oceania |
|
Caucasian |
|
Europe, Central Asia, North America, North Africa |
Rice. 2. Comparison of the inhabitants of Africa, Asia and Europe.
Some experts separately distinguish the Americanoid (indigenous Indian) race. The Negroid race is also divided into Negro, Pygmy, South African (Khoisanoid) and Ethiopian races.
During the era of great geographical discoveries, people who had lived on different continents for centuries began to get acquainted with their “neighbors” who had differences both in appearance and in culture. Based on these differences, entire concepts began to emerge about subspecies of Homo, the predominance of one race over another, etc.
A race is not a separate species or nation for the following reasons:
Interspecific crossing occurs in nature, but does not always produce full-fledged offspring capable of passing on their unique qualities to the next generation. People within the same species (Homo sapiens), regardless of skin color, hair, height, can marry and give birth to viable children.
In modern humanity there are three main races: Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Negroid. These are large groups of people who differ in certain physical characteristics, such as facial features, skin, eye and hair color, and hair shape.
Each race is characterized by a unity of origin and formation in a certain territory.
The Caucasian race includes the indigenous populations of Europe, South Asia and North Africa. Caucasians are characterized by a narrow face, a strongly protruding nose, and soft hair. The skin color of northern Caucasians is light, while that of southern Caucasians is predominantly dark.
The Mongoloid race includes the indigenous population of Central and East Asia, Indonesia, and Siberia. Mongoloids are distinguished by a large, flat, wide face, eye shape, coarse straight hair, and dark skin color.
There are two branches of the Negroid race - African and Australian. The Negroid race is characterized by dark skin color, curly hair, dark eyes, a wide and flat nose.
Racial characteristics are hereditary, but at present they do not have significant significance for human life. Apparently, in the distant past, racial characteristics were useful for their owners: the dark skin of blacks and curly hair, creating an air layer around the head, protected the body from the effects of sunlight; the shape of the facial skeleton of the Mongoloids with a more extensive nasal cavity may be useful for warming cold air before it enters the lungs. In terms of mental abilities, i.e., abilities for cognition, creative and general labor activity, all races are the same. Differences in the level of culture are associated not with the biological characteristics of people of different races, but with the social conditions of the development of society.
The reactionary essence of racism. Initially, some scientists confused the level of social development with biological characteristics and tried to find transitional forms among modern peoples that connect humans with animals. These mistakes were used by racists who began to talk about the alleged inferiority of some races and peoples and the superiority of others in order to justify the merciless exploitation and direct destruction of many peoples as a result of colonization, the seizure of foreign lands and the outbreak of wars. When European and American capitalism tried to conquer the African and Asian peoples, the white race was declared superior. Later, when Hitler’s hordes marched across Europe, destroying the captured population in death camps, the so-called Aryan race, to which the Nazis included the German peoples, was declared superior. Racism is a reactionary ideology and policy aimed at justifying the exploitation of man by man.
The inconsistency of racism has been proven by the real science of race - racial studies. Racial studies studies the racial characteristics, origin, formation and history of human races. Evidence from race studies suggests that the differences between races are not sufficient to qualify the races as distinct biological species of humans. Mixing of races - miscegenation - occurred constantly, as a result of which intermediate types arose at the borders of the ranges of representatives of different races, smoothing out the differences between races.
Will races disappear? One of the important conditions for the formation of races is isolation. In Asia, Africa and Europe it still exists to some extent today. Meanwhile, newly settled regions such as North and South America can be compared to a cauldron in which all three racial groups are melted. Although public opinion in many countries does not support interracial marriage, there is little doubt that miscegenation is inevitable and will sooner or later lead to the formation of a hybrid population of people.
The population of our planet is so diverse that one can only be surprised. What kind of nationalities and nationalities can you meet! Everyone has their own faith, customs, traditions, and orders. Its own beautiful and extraordinary culture. However, all these differences are formed only by people themselves in the process of social historical development. What lies behind the differences that appear externally? After all, we are all very different:
Obviously, the reasons are purely biological, independent of people themselves and formed over thousands of years of evolution. This is how modern human races were formed, which explain the visual diversity of human morphology theoretically. Let's take a closer look at what this term is, what its essence and meaning are.
What is race? This is not a nation, not a people, not a culture. These concepts should not be confused. After all, representatives of different nationalities and cultures can freely belong to the same race. Therefore, the definition can be given as given by the science of biology.
Human races are a set of external morphological characteristics, that is, those that are the phenotype of a representative. They were formed under the influence of external conditions, the influence of a complex of biotic and abiotic factors, and were fixed in the genotype during evolutionary processes. Thus, the characteristics that underlie the division of people into races include:
All those signs of Homo sapiens as a biological species that lead to the formation of a person’s external appearance, but do not in any way affect his personal, spiritual and social qualities and manifestations, as well as the level of self-development and self-education.
People of different races have completely identical biological springboards for the development of certain abilities. Their general karyotype is the same:
This means that all representatives of Homo sapiens are one and the same, among them there are no more or less developed, superior to others, or higher. From a scientific point of view, everyone is equal.
The species of human races, formed over approximately 80 thousand years, have adaptive significance. It has been proven that each of them was formed with the aim of providing a person with the opportunity for a normal existence in a given habitat and facilitating adaptation to climatic, relief and other conditions. There is a classification showing which races of Homo sapiens existed before, and which ones exist today.
She's not alone. The thing is that until the 20th century it was customary to distinguish 4 races of people. These were the following varieties:
For each, detailed characteristic features were described by which any individual of the human species could be identified. However, later a classification became widespread that included only 3 human races. This became possible due to the unification of the Australoid and Negroid groups into one.
Therefore, the modern types of human races are as follows.
Each of them has its own characteristics, signs, and external manifestations in the appearance of people. All of them are considered by anthropologists, and the science itself that studies this issue is biology. Human races have interested people since ancient times. After all, completely contrasting external features often became the cause of racial strife and conflicts.
Genetic research in recent years allows us to again talk about the division of the equatorial group into two. Let's consider all 4 races of people who stood out earlier and became relevant again recently. Let us note the signs and features.
Typical representatives of this group include the indigenous inhabitants of Australia, Melanesia, Southeast Asia, and India. The name of this race is also Australo-Veddoid or Australo-Melanesian. All synonyms make it clear which small races are included in this group. They are as follows:
In general, the characteristics of each group presented do not vary too much among themselves. There are several main features that characterize all small races of people of the Australoid group.
Within the Australoid group, people of different races differ from each other, sometimes quite strongly. So, a native Australian may be tall, blond, of a dense build, with straight hair and light brown eyes. At the same time, a native of Melanesia will be a thin, short, dark-skinned representative with curly black hair and almost black eyes.
Therefore, the general characteristics described above for the entire race are only an averaged version of their combined analysis. Naturally, crossbreeding also occurs - the mixing of different groups as a result of natural crossing of species. That is why it is sometimes very difficult to identify a specific representative and attribute him to one or another small or large race.
The people who make up this group are the settlers of the following areas:
In general, such races of people as Australoids and Negroids used to be united in the equatorial group. However, research in the 21st century has proven the inconsistency of this order. After all, the differences in the manifested characteristics between the designated races are too great. And some similar features are explained very simply. After all, the habitats of these individuals are very similar in terms of living conditions, therefore the adaptations in appearance are also similar.
So, the following characteristics are characteristic of representatives of the Negroid race.
Negroids are easy to distinguish from others by their external appearance. Below are the different races of people. The photo reflects how clearly Negroids differ from Europeans and Mongoloids.
Representatives of this group are characterized by special features that allow them to adapt to rather difficult external conditions: desert sands and winds, blinding snow drifts, etc.
Mongoloids are the indigenous people of Asia and much of America. Their characteristic signs are as follows.
It should be noted that another characteristic feature is short stature, both in men and women. It is the Mongoloid group that predominates in numbers when comparing the main races of people. They populated almost all climatographic zones of the Earth. Close to them in terms of quantitative characteristics are Caucasians, whom we will consider below.
First of all, let’s designate the predominant habitats of people from this group. This:
Thus, the representatives unite two main parts of the world - Europe and Asia. Since living conditions were also very different, the general characteristics are again an average option after analyzing all the indicators. Thus, the following appearance features can be distinguished.
In general, a European is easy to distinguish from others. Appearance allows you to do this almost without error, even without using additional genetic data.
If you look at all the races of people, the photos of whose representatives are located below, the difference becomes obvious. However, sometimes the characteristics are mixed so deeply that identifying an individual becomes almost impossible. He is able to relate to two races at once. This is further aggravated by intraspecific mutation, which leads to the appearance of new characteristics.
For example, albinos Negroids are a special case of the appearance of blondes in the Negroid race. A genetic mutation that disrupts the integrity of racial characteristics in a given group.
Where did such a variety of signs of people’s appearance come from? There are two main hypotheses that explain the origin of human races. This:
However, none of them has yet become an officially accepted theory. According to the monocentric point of view, initially, about 80 thousand years ago, all people lived in the same territory, and therefore their appearance was approximately the same. However, over time, growing numbers led to a wider spread of people. As a result, some groups found themselves in difficult climatographic conditions.
This led to the development and consolidation at the genetic level of some morphological adaptations that help in survival. For example, dark skin and curly hair provide thermoregulation and a cooling effect for the head and body in Negroids. And the narrow shape of the eyes protects them from sand and dust, as well as from being blinded by white snow among Mongoloids. The developed hair of Europeans is a unique way of thermal insulation in harsh winter conditions.
Another hypothesis is called polycentrism. She says that different types of human races descended from several ancestral groups that were unequally distributed around the globe. That is, there were initially several foci from which the development and consolidation of racial characteristics began. Again influenced by climatographic conditions.
That is, the process of evolution proceeded linearly, simultaneously affecting aspects of life on different continents. This is how the formation of modern types of people from several phylogenetic lines took place. However, it is not possible to say for certain about the validity of this or that hypothesis, since there is no evidence of a biological or genetic nature, or at the molecular level.
The races of people, according to current scientists, have the following classification. There are two trunks, and each of them has three large races and many small ones. It looks something like this.
1. Western trunk. Includes three races:
The main groups of Caucasians: Nordic, Alpine, Dinaric, Mediterranean, Falsky, East Baltic and others.
Small races of capoids: Bushmen and Khoisan. They inhabit South Africa. In terms of the fold above the eyelid, they are similar to the Mongoloids, but in other characteristics they differ sharply from them. The skin is not elastic, which is why all representatives are characterized by the appearance of early wrinkles.
Groups of Negroids: pygmies, nilots, blacks. All of them are settlers from different parts of Africa, so their appearance is similar. Very dark eyes, same skin and hair. Thick lips and lack of chin protuberance.
2. Eastern trunk. Includes the following large races:
Mongoloids are divided into two groups - northern and southern. These are the indigenous inhabitants of the Gobi Desert, which left its mark on the appearance of these people.
Americanoids are the population of North and South America. They are very tall and often have an epicanthus, especially in children. However, the eyes are not as narrow as those of the Mongoloids. They combine the characteristics of several races.
Australoids consist of several groups:
Their characteristic features were discussed above.
This concept is a rather highly specialized term that allows you to identify any person to any race. After all, each large one is divided into many small ones, and they are compiled on the basis of not only small external distinctive features, but also include data from genetic studies, clinical tests, and facts of molecular biology.
Therefore, small races are what make it possible to more accurately reflect the position of each specific individual in the system of the organic world, and specifically, within the species Homo sapiens sapiens. What specific groups exist was discussed above.
As we have found out, there are different races of people. Their signs can be very polar. This is what gave rise to the theory of racism. It says that one race is superior to another, since it consists of more highly organized and perfect beings. At one time, this led to the emergence of slaves and their white masters.
However, from a scientific point of view, this theory is completely absurd and untenable. The genetic predisposition to the development of certain skills and abilities is the same among all peoples. Proof that all races are biologically equal is the possibility of free interbreeding between them while maintaining the health and vitality of the offspring.
Humanity is a mosaic of races and peoples that inhabit our globe. A representative of each race and each people has a number of differences in comparison with representatives of other population systems.
However, all people, despite their racial and ethnic background, are an integral part of a single whole - earthly humanity.
Race is a system of a population of people who have similar biological characteristics that were formed under the influence of the natural conditions of the territory of their origin. Race is the result of the adaptation of the human body to the natural conditions in which it had to live.
The formation of races took place over many millennia. According to anthropologists, at the moment there are three main races on the planet, including more than ten anthropological types.
Representatives of each race are connected by common areas and genes, which provoke the emergence of physiological differences from representatives of other races.
The Caucasoid or Eurasian race is the largest race in the world. Characteristic features of the appearance of a person belonging to the Caucasian race are an oval face, straight or wavy soft hair, wide eyes, and average thickness of lips.
The color of eyes, hair and skin varies depending on the region of the population, but always has light shades. Representatives of the Caucasian race evenly populate the entire planet.
The final settlement across the continents occurred after the end of the century of geographical discoveries. Very often, people of the Caucasian race tried to prove their dominant position over representatives of other races.
The Negroid race is one of the three big races. Characteristic features of people belonging to the Negroid race are elongated limbs, dark skin rich in melanin, a wide flat nose, large eyes, and curly hair.
Modern scientists believe that the first Negroid man arose around the 40th century BC. in the territory of modern Egypt. The main region of settlement of representatives of the Negroid race is South Africa. Over the past centuries, people of the Negroid race have settled significantly in the West Indies, Brazil, France and the United States.
Unfortunately, representatives of the Negroid race have been oppressed by “white” people for many centuries. They faced such anti-democratic phenomena as slavery and discrimination.
The Mongoloid race is one of the largest world races. The characteristic features of this race are: dark skin color, narrow eyes, small stature, thin lips.
Representatives of the Mongoloid race primarily inhabit the territory of Asia, Indonesia, and the islands of Oceania. Recently, the number of people of this race has begun to increase in all countries of the world, which is caused by an intensifying wave of migration.
A people is a certain group of people who have a common number of historical characteristics - culture, language, religion, territory. Traditionally, a stable common feature of a people is its language. However, in our time, cases are common when different peoples speak a single language.
For example, the Irish and Scots speak English, although they are not English. Today there are several tens of thousands of peoples in the world, which are systematized into 22 families of peoples. Many peoples that existed before disappeared at this point or were assimilated with other peoples.
