Biological Races in Humans - Literature review Example

Module Potential Essay Question Question Race is not biologically real because human beings are not born with racial awareness. We become knowledgeable about race as we grow, depending on experiences. Race is ascribed to biology because it can be explained biologically. Genes are passed down from generation to generation, often forming a pattern that can be interpreted (Jurmain and Kilgore 19). Paul Broca and Robert Bean examined race and concluded that just like gender, race is a concept that is mostly beyond our grasp.

They concluded that we can decide our children’s races by marrying people from certain races, but we cannot change ours. Franklin Mall conducted a study which showed that race is a creation of the human psyche; it is not inherent in us. Stephen Gould stated that we should view race as just part of our outward appearance because it defines very little aspects of our lives (Jurmain and Kilgore 23). Question 2 The relationship between anthropology and colonialism is uneasy because anthropology disagrees with the colonialist perspective that some races are inferior to others (Jurmain and Kilgore 24).

In British and French colonies, anthropologists were used to spread the message that the colonialists were superior to the “natives.” Evans-Pritchard felt that anthropologists should be actively involved in policymaking, but Malinowski was of the opinion that involvement in policymaking dilutes the impacts of anthropology (Jurmain and Kilgore 26). Development is anthropology’s evil twin because it uses fallacious claims to advance the interests and influence of some races over others. Development is a mirage created by racial supremacists.

Question 3 Applied anthropology is incredibly wide and therefore requires intensive research in order to understand its application. In addition, applied anthropology requires a lot of time to master because it comprises several sub-disciplines that can create confusion (Jurmain and Kilgore 13). Finally, most people have a problem differentiating applied and theoretical anthropology because they overlap in so many ways (Jurmain and Kilgore 13). The debate about anthropology and the four-fields of anthropology centers on the application of anthropological principles in an ethical and holistic manner.

Anthropology has worked in medicine, genetics, engineering and philosophy. New areas include biological and quantitative research. The spring lancet is an example of a product created by anthropologists. It was designed in the 18th and 19th centuries to help in the drawing of blood and fluid samples for analysis (Jurmain and Kilgore 17). Work Cited Jurmain, Robert, and Lynn Kilgore. Essentials of Physical Anthropology. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.