6.3: Race and Ethnicity

Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Define and distinguish between the terms race and ethnicity.
• Consider how race and ethnicity influence political mobilization.

Introduction

Race and ethnicity are often used, mistakenly, as though they are interchangeable terms. According to Merriam-Webster, race is "a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits." To this end, race is a narrow term that is associated with biological characteristics, such as skin color and hair texture. Ethnicity is a broader term than race. Again using Merriam-Webster's definition, ethnicity categorizes groups of people "according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin[s] or background[s]." 

The terms race and ethnicity are both political categorizations of identity that raise problems, especially as the options available to those having to answer a question pertaining to their race and ethnicity may not be comprehensive or representative of their actual identities. On an official government document, for example, a person may hesitate to share their race or ethnicity due to fear of government reprisals against a minority group. In addition, if provided with a series of options to choose from, an individual may not believe that a given race or ethnicity appropriately captures their identity.

Race, Ethnicity, and Political Mobilization

Race and ethnicity play a major role in politics around the world, and each of these factors can be politically mobilized to influence political outcomes.

Within the United States (U.S.), for example, we can consider the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. This social movement aimed to ensure equal treatment under the law for Black and African American citizens. The momentum for the movement came from civil rights activists and protesters who sought to end racial oppression, segregation, voter suppression, and discriminatory employment and housing practices. Through racially- and ethnically-based political mobilization, including sophisticated organizational efforts that were sustained over time, the Civil Rights Movement successfully pushed for numerous court rulings (e.g., Brown v. Board of Education, 1954; Loving v. Virginia, 1967), major legislative changes (e.g., the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965), and new policies (e.g., affirmative action).

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Participants and leaders marching from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington. (Source: Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. by U.S. Information Agency Press and Publications Service via the National Archives and Records Administration is licensed under Public Domain).

Remaining with the U.S. example, scholars today continue to study how race and ethnicity affect not only political mobilization, but also trends in political attitudes. Comparing the two major parties in the U.S., members of the Republican Party are more likely to say that great advances have been made in racial equality in the U.S., while members of the Democratic Party are more likely to state that more needs to be done. The majority of Black Americans, according to the Pew Research Center, believe that most of the institutions in the U.S. are biased and need to be "completely rebuilt," illustrating how fundamentally race and ethnicity can interact with the political system. 

More generally, across the globe, comparativists study how race and ethnicity impact (among other things) the quality of democracy, representation in political institutions, public opinion, electoral outcomes, inequality, health outcomes, and economic outcomes.