Readings: Taylor, chaps. 11-12
Points of Entry:
Yamasee War book review:
Race in Colonial America:
Historical Origin of Race:
Questions for discussion:
What does it mean when we say race is "historically constructed?"
What's the difference between racism and ethnocentrism?
Who defined racial identity in colonial North America? How did this effect new encounters and interactions with later immigrants?
The difference between racism and ethnocentrism was apparent in New Netherland and later in New York. Racism was present in the colonies and fueled justifications for the slavery of Indians and Africans. Racism was based on perceived differences based on the way people looked. On the other had ethnocentrism in the colonies was based on the belief English colonists had that they were better then colonists from other european colonies. In New Netherland, diversity was encouraged by a policy of religious freedom. When the English took the colony and renamed it New York they were less than thrilled to live among colonists who were not English.
ReplyDeleteWhen we say that race is historically constructed we mean that it is a human creation. People create race, race is not a natural. Race tends to be defined by the people at the top of a society, i.e. nobles and aristocrats. Europeans helped define race in the Americas. The Europeans used race as an excuse to dominate the New World. They used it to enslave Natives as well as Africans. Race was certainly based on color for the most part in the New World, whites were always at the top of the racial hierarchy and blacks or natives tended to be towards the bottom. Race did not start to get defined by ethnicity until Europeans of different ethnicities started to live in the same cities as one another. -Zach
ReplyDeleteRacism vs. ethnocentrism can be linked in my mind. I think that we started with a ethnocentrism view on color and race. It was mostly with how the higher ranking officials at this time like the aristrocrates, and how they viewed their culture. They believed that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to their own culture. They use language and literacy etc. to determine their place in society. As time went on these groups became more specific and color became a way to clarify the differences. Over decades of this thought the history may have been lost but the speculations of a group or color have not left people. It is a sad fact that racism still exist in our world.
ReplyDeleteIn defining race as "historically constructed," Zach did a very good job in explaining it. I would however, add that as race is defined by the people in power, it is also ever-changing and evolves over time. Not only is race dynamic in that it changes over time, but when it does change it builds from its previous historical foundations. Through its evolution, the idea and perception of race builds from its previous conceptions and is redefined.
ReplyDeleteI think that race is constructed historically by conquest. It is created by those who are the dominant culture. In colonial North America the European's defined race. This is because they were viewed themselves as the dominant culture. By viewing someone as inferior or superior based on race is not a natural occurance. It is a way for one culture to detrmine superiority.
ReplyDeleteI believe the events which took place in the Americas allowed for the structural application of exploitation. As mentioned in lecture, there were many reasons given for the justification of enslaving and abusing Africans. The need for a steady flow of labor in the colonies further complicated matters as England experienced a increase in wages. As fewer English were willing to travel across the Atlantic, the tide turned to the African coast. Here, slavers and merchants provided American plantation owners with the necessary labor to turn agricultural products into lucrative cash crops. These trends also helped shape the racial identity in colonial North America by enriching a white elite at the expense of enslaved African labor.
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