Overview

In contemporary societies, race is commonly connected to biology. Race, we are told, 'is in our blood'. In this topic we question what is meant by race, by exploring how it is socially constructed. How does race shape how we think about ourselves, and our identities? How is race connected … For more content click the Read More button below.

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Aims

This topic aims to:

  • Introduce students to the social construction of race
  • Assist students to understand how the social construction of race is connected to significant moments of social change, such as the Enlightenment, modernity, industrialization and colonialism
  • Support students to understand how meanings about race set up powerful hierarchies that privilege Eurocentric, western societies
  • Discover how meanings about race connect to other social identities and relations, such as gender, sexuality, class and religion
  • Engage with contemporary and historical case studies, across the globe and in Australia

Learning outcomes

On completion of this topic you will be expected to be able to:
1.
Explore how critical race and post-colonial theory argue that race is a social construction
2.
Analyse the social factors that produced historical and contemporary meanings about race
3.
Critically examine how race is connected to power, by exploring which groups are privileged and which are marginalised

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Requisites information

Pre-requisites:
Anti-requisites:

Assumed knowledge

First year sociology topic knowledge, or first year knowledge gained from humanities or social science topics