Racism Is Socially Constructed Essay

When speaking about racism, we need to understand how it is socially constructed. Ones status in society plays a role in social categorization which allows us to conclude that categorization is a social construct. McLeod, S states that “social identity is a person’s sense of who they are based on their group membership(s)” (McLeod, SA. 2008). All people are looking for in this social world is to find a place where they belong. People divide themselves subconsciously into “them and us” through the “process of social categorization” (McLeod, SA. 2008). By recognizing race as a social construction does not make race any less meaning less or realistic.
Racism is constructed historically, economically, politically and socio – culturally. Carrim states that “there is a general consensus currently that racism is constructed socially and that it is not innate” (Carrim, N. 2006, pg. 60). A debate that Carrim questions is that “racism developed historically” (Carrim, N. 2006, pg. 60) which supports his statement that racism is “not innate but historically traceable and contingent” (Carrim, N. 2006, pg. 60). When speaking about

These two injustices branch from Socio – economic injustice and Cultural or Symbolic injustice. The socio – economic injustices are a cause from the framework of society from a political and economic view. This is evident in Frasers examples (Fraser, N. 2008) of marginalisation and poverty. We can relate this to the poverty in South Africa especially amongst the schools that educate the vast majority of our country. Fraser states that “redistribution is a remedy for socioeconomic injustice “(Fraser, N. 2008) redistribution does not change the economic aspects the government has set out such as child welfare. This does not cover the cost of sending a child to a well-resourced school that will further them in