Race and Three Models of Human Origin

[Kym Alexander]

I found this research paper from my forensic anthropology class (think real CSI stuff, wound id, determining "race", gender and age of an unidentifiable dead person, it was the coolest class ever). I had the opportunity to research via a peer reviewed scientific journal article and one other source, the biological and anthropological outlook on the existence of race. I've attached the paper and the power point discussing the information for anyone interested.

Here is the paper:

Race and Three Models of Human Origin

 

            In this journal essay, Race and Three Model of Human Origin, the authors explored the future of the concept of “race”
based on the decline of its use in the sciences since the early 1900s, as well as,
in view of the three most common models of human origin in debate today.  The assertion made by the authors is that
race is a baseless concept that carries negative connotations and can be better
defined by other concepts. While presenting a concise and clear argument
against the concept of race, the authors show their own bias against it by not
offering a full spectrum of facts that could support the opposing argument. Is
using different concepts or truly, what amounts to semantics, enough to
disassociate the negative connotations that are connected to the biological
variations attributed to each “race”? It may be that it is not the concept of
race that is flawed but rather the manner in which humans have used the
concept.

            The authors evaluated the widespread decline in use and agreements on its validity in the academic and scientific communities. In the introduction, they site two
studies to support the decline of the concept, one showed that fifty percent of
Physical Anthropologists disagreed that there were “human biological races” (Lieberman
and Jackson
232) and the other that most college textbooks in the field did not agree with
it (Lieberman and Jackson 232). Interestingly, the author of this article,
Lieberman, participated in both of the cited studies. More data is used to
support the rejection of the concept of race among all of the sciences. A
survey of 1,700 scientists (Lieberman and Jackson 232) shows that in biology,
physical anthropology, developmental psychology and cultural anthropology that
there were opponents to the concept. Other journal articles support the fact
that the concept of race is “divisive and emotionally charged topic among
physical anthropologists” (Cartmill 651). So there is a decline, but not a
consensus as to the validity of the concept of race.

            Next, the authors turned to the breakdown of the ways and means of the shift away from use of the concept of race. Four categories were used to explain the decline:
empirical, definitional, alternate concepts, and humanitarian movements
(Lieberman and Jackson 233). New data shows that traits show up in all the
races, as if “racial boundaries… were nonexistent” (Lieberman and Jackson 233).
Definitions of what race means has changed and alternative concepts have been
presented, such as population and cline (Lieberman and Jackson 233). Finally,
the humanitarian movements such as the civil rights in the 1960s and 70s opened
up intense debate and called for a closer look at the concept of race
(Lieberman and Jackson 234). The concepts of populations or clines, defined by
Encarta Dictionary as a gradual variation in the characteristics of a plant or
animal species that occurs when it is distributed over an area with differing
environmental or geographic conditions, have become alternative concepts to
race ((Lieberman and Jackson 233).

            Finally, the authors explored the three most debated models of the origins of humans. The first, Out-of-Africa Displacement, uses DNA research to support migration
of Homo sapiens from Africa and into Europe, Asia
and other areas that led to the replacement of other local populations
(Lieberman and Jackson 234). The second model, Multiregional Continuity
Evolution, uses fossils to support that Homo sapiens evolved separately from
Homo erectus in many areas, after Homo erectus had already left Africa and at
some later point became the only form of Homo (Lieberman and Jackson 236) The
third model, Afro-European-sapiens, migrated from Africa
and while replacing other groups, they did interbreed and absorb the other
groups into their gene pool (Lieberman and Jackson 237). The article asserts
that all three of these models have weakness and strengths in proving or
disproving the concept of race. In Out-of-Africa Displacement, the migration is
thought to have only occurred 200,000 years ago, not allowing enough time for
evolution of traits between races, but does agree that there are Eurasian and
African groups, which points towards race ((Lieberman and Jackson 235). In
Multiregional Continuity Evolution, migration is thought to have happened over
a million years ago, with all humans evolving from Homo erectus and then
natural selection of traits necessary for every region led to variations
(Lieberman and Jackson 236). In Afro-European-sapiens, evolution was also from
Homo erectus to Homo sapien, and the changes in the races of Europe and Asia happened from mating with sapiens that had migrated
earlier (Lieberman and Jackson 237). While each model offers a different
version of how things happened and where humans originated, it seems that all
think that there are distinct trait differences from region to region.

            The article reaches the same conclusion it asserts throughout, that race can easily be substituted with other concepts. They also assert that each model of human
origin can support the argument for or against race and supports that it exists
in reality (Lieberman and Jackson 239). Also, to end the debate on race, the
issue of evolution and how it occurred will have to be determined. In
conclusion, the authors assert that population and clines can be used to
replace the concept of race with nothing being lost (Lieberman and Jackson 239).

Works Cited

Lieberman, Leonard and Fatimah L. Jackson. "Race and Three Models of Human Origin."        American Anthropologist  97(1995): 231-242.

 

Cartmill, Matt. “The Status of the Race Concept in Physical Anthropology.” American   Anthropologist 100(1998):651-660.

[Clifford Black]

This is how to begin-good work-we will keep and use this in our collection of information about the non-sense of race. Do this work for real and you will change the world!!!!

[Aaron (Al) Lewis]

Good reference material.