classification of individuals regarding races

In their main discussion of many potential contributing elements to the racial classification of persons, Zuberi et al. They contend that scientific studies on racial and social structure helped to sustain political race constructs. They claimed that portions of DNA may occasionally be the cause of social construction. However, Zuberi et al. do not hesitate to remind out that the process of population differentiation is inconsistent because the characteristics mentioned above could not be reliable and stable (115). Glenn, in her research, looks into the improvement in the study of gender and race by looking into the point of interaction between the social construction of gender and the process of formation of races. She, for instance, argued that it is important that the process of the social construction of gender should undergo an in-depth synthesis process. She explains that this process provides a platform accompanied by several concepts that look at the constitution of gender and race. It elaborates ways in how gender undergoes the process of racialization and how race interacts with gender. Glenn also argues that the processes of race and gender operate in three levels namely – meso, micro, and macro levels respectively (7).

Ellen Samuels, in her book, discusses and compares the aspect of disability and that of arising of the disabled situation. She discusses this based on her interaction with a student named Samantha. Samuels states that in most instances, individuals with a different sexuality do not usually open up to their immediate family members, as it may change the way the family portrays them. In a similar perspective, she argues that the same situation occurs in the issue of disability. An individual with a disability is not likely to self-report, as they may feel ashamed of themselves. Also, their immediate family may not treat them as with disability (Samuels 317).

Markus writes an essay that serves to prove that is not only based on how one sees themselves, but it also has a basis on how others perceive an individual. He states that a person’s identity depends on how one thinks, acts or feel regarding situations. From a similar perspective, identity also determines one’s level of the society and thus influences how the society perceives them. Depending on an individual’s social status, one may have a high social regard or a low social regard. Consequently, identity is of high regard to the society (Markus 360).

Howard and Alamilla, in their article, critically discuss on gender and identity and come up with some perspectives. The perspectives are the four views of gender identity. The first aspect involves comprehension of the gender concept. It is mandatory in the process of sex identity. The second view suggests one’s understanding of the specified gender roles. The third part includes the identification with one’s parents, and the final view is the process of establishing a gender preference. It is also the breakdown of the gender identity process (Howard and Alamilla 371).

Wilson, in his work, describes a group of people as being of two spirits. He comes up with this description basing his argument on their sexuality of being either gay or lesbian. He describes them as being “two-spirit people” because despite being gay or lesbian, they still possess their original culture within them. Wilson argues that this qualifies them to be ”two-spirited”, as they maintain their culture and the general culture of their community (307).

Tuan, in her book, discusses the feeling of being an Asian in the United States today. He explains this from the perspective of an Asian. In the discussion, Tuan brings out the aspect of ethnicity. She also offers an explanation as to how Asians describe culture as being a dynamic medium. The Asians in the United States experience exposure to a new culture, which is also distinct from theirs. Consequently, they develop the view of culture as dynamic. Also, it arises because of their having to adapt to the new culture (Tuan 127).

Franke discusses on how a social identity that undergoes construction might cause many complications. She uses the case of a couple, Cyril Sunseri and Verna Cassagne. This couple has only been in a marriage for a few months then one of them files for a divorce due to the difference in culture and color. The scenario serves to indicate that an identity that undergoes construction has several complications. It is so because the court annulled the marriage between Cyril Sunseri and Verna Cassagne (Franke 13).

In the present society, children begin to classify their mates using their ethnic and racial concepts at a very early age. It is so due to several reasons majorly facilitated by the respective culture of the people. The child learns about this culture primarily form the parents. It happens so because initially, children are usually born void of culture; therefore, it is the role of the parent to instill the popular culture on the child. Here, the parent either knowingly or unknowingly instills their commonly held beliefs on the child (Van Ausdale and Feagin 783).

There is a common belief that gay couples are affluent and have a lot of wealth. Hollibaugh argues against this stereotype stating that this perception makes people have many expectations from them. She argues that it is, in fact, the gay couples that are poorer than the straight ones. Research indicates that most gay spouses have been to extents of having no money at all causing them to go hungry. It is against the beliefs of individuals that the gay couples are the wealthiest (Hollibaugh 27).

Sherwood performs an informed research on class, race, and gender in some of the rich country clubs. She takes this step as a diversion from the standard studies that are usually on the poor. In the country clubs, Sherwood explores the interactions of the wealthy individuals, their interests, and things that they have in common. She also compares the types of gender that are majorly available in the country clubs. An example of her study is the research she conducted on the two clubs, Rosary and Suburban. One of her major concussions on this study was that one needed assimilation to be a member of either clubs (Sherwood 219).

According to the research by Snow and Anderson, the homeless apply many strategies to ensure that they come up with a higher self-worth and an identity that is meaningful. In carrying out this research, they incorporate the use of symbolic interactionism. They conducted a field study on ethnography of the homeless people among other methods to come up with their findings. They accounted the search for identity and self-worth to the fact that the homeless usually lack some of the basic needs that make them strive to be better. An example of how they conducted their research is that they compared samples of the homeless in the United States regarding specific variables from demography (Snow and Anderson 211).

Pfeffer’s research is on how to prove that as time goes by, people’s understanding of the gender and sexuality becomes complex. She attributes this aspect to be due to the rise of transgender cases and situations. There are alarming rates, in which homosexual cases come up, mostly due to its legalization in some states. Thus, an individual is never sure of a particular sexuality that is ”natural”, as Pfeffer puts it (3).

Works Cited

Franke, Katherine M. ”What Does a White Woman Look Like? Racing and Erasing in Law.” Texas Law Review, 74(1995): 1231.

Glenn, Evelyn N. ”The Social Construction and Institutionalization of Gender and Race.” Revisioning Gender (1999): 3-43.

Hollibaugh, Amber. ”Queers without Money: They Are Everywhere. But We Refuse to See Them.” Village Voice (2001).

Howard, Judith A., and Ramira M. Alamilla. ”Gender and Identity.” Gender Mosaics: Social Perspectives (2001): 367-393.

Markus, Hazel R. ”Who Am I? Race, Ethnicity, and Identity.” Doing Race: 21 Essays for the 21st Century (2010): 359-389.

Pfeffer, Carla A. ”I Don’t Like Passing as a Straight Woman: Queer Negotiations of Identity and Social Group Membership.” American Journal of Sociology 120.1 (2014): 1-44.

Samuels, Ellen. ”My Body, my Closet: Invisible Disability and the Limits of Coming Out.” The Disability Studies Reader, 4(2013): 316-332.

Sherwood, Jessica H. Wealth, Whiteness, and the Matrix of Privilege: The View from the Country Club. Lexington Books, 2010.

Snow, David, and Leon Anderson. ”Salvaging the Self.” In Down on Their Luck: A Study of Homeless Street People (pp.198-221).University of California Press, 1993.

Tuan, Mia. Forever Foreigners or Honorary Whites? The Asian Ethnic Experience Today. Rutgers University Press, 1998.

Van Ausdale, Debra, and Joe R. Feagin. ”Using Racial and Ethnic Concepts: The Critical Case of Very Young Children.” American Sociological Review (1996): 779-793.

Wilson, Alex. ”How We Find Ourselves: Identity Development and Two-Spirit People.” Harvard Educational Review 66.2 (1996): 303-318.

Zuberi, Tukufu, Evelyn J. Patterson, and Quincy T. Stewart. ”Race, Methodology, and Social Construction in the Genomic Era.” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 661.1 (2015): 109-127.