Spring 2016: The Peopling of New York City A Macaulay Honors Seminar taught by Prof. Karen Williams at Brooklyn College

Spring 2016: The Peopling of New York City
Racial Formation and its Deconstruction

Race is no intrinsic biological component of identity but may be used at the discretion of the individual in order to either strengthen or shed light upon a related longstanding history and culture. In “Racial Formation,” Michael Omi and Howard Winant propose the definition, “race is a concept which signifies and symbolizes social conflicts and interests by referring to different types of human bodies.” The moment that people use race as a determinant for their behaviors towards others, particularly in violent or negative ways, they become oppressors and are contributing to a large and incessant social battle. Color-blind racism was briefly mentioned within the article as a one of the resolutions that could be attempted in order to eradicate conflict among races. However, color-blind racism is exactly that: racism. Not only can this approach not help on a macro-level but also leads to inconsideration on a micro-social level. The text acknowledges this by claiming that “To see racial projects operating at the level of everyday life, we have only to examine the many ways in which, often unconsciously, we ‘notice’ race.” This statement calls for an even more in-depth understanding of the individual’s prejudices and bigotry even on a subconscious level. It is essential that in acknowledging these prejudices we also acknowledge their invalidity. As human beings, we often feel the need to categorize things in order to make sense of them. This is fundamentally an inaccurate way of perceiving our surroundings and can lead to a variety of stereotypical assumptions that may seem rather normal and accepted after a while. The construction of race is not one that was ever naturally occurring, but was a conceptual form of categorization that stems from a long history of social power struggles. The truth of the matter is that people crave power in any way that they can achieve it, and for the majority, that power is much easier to seize. There is strength in numbers. For that same reason, it is imperative that we, as a society of citizens who acknowledge these truths about race, speak out and ensure that bigotry and injustice do not prevail.

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