ANP 220 do human races exist_16

different perspectives: c. loring brace

no evidence for race

• can assess geographic region but not coherent entities(in contrast to laypersons belief)

• variation is clinal and patterns differ

• should use geographic labels

concept is cultural and political

• racial terms are linked to capabilities

• use favors racism

different perspectives: george w. gill

useful concept

• can assess geographic, racial affinities w/ high accuracy (particularly if multple skeletal markers are used

• depedns on traits (not w/ blood groups)

“reality of race” depends on definition of reality

• divide clines into categories (as for age)

• racial denial politically motivated (correctness)

  • denial favors racism

forensic anthropology is

the formulation of a biological profile of otherwise unrecognizable human remains for legal purposes

used for work in

• criminal cases

• fatalities

biological profile: ancestry

based on morphological variations (bones)

• multiple measurements; analyzed statistically

• output: possible ancestry and error probability

describes the origin of a person

• bio-geographic region

• fairly correct

applies to skeletal (bone) measures

• NOT to visual assessments like skin etc

Keenewick Man

• found 1996

• claimed by 5 tribes

  • lost appeal in 2004

study results

• 8-9,000 yrs B.P.

• morphologically

  • Caucasian male

• genetically

  • Southeast-Asian-Ainu

what is race?

• the division of humankind into groups of people based on combination of various, conspicuous biological characteristics such as for example skin color facial form, eye shape etc

• the division of human kind into groups of people based on common decent and genetic similarity

what is race (biologically) definition 1

• intraspecific category characterized by conspicuous physiological, biological, geographical or ecological traits

much of human biological variation

• discordant

• clinally distributed

• different patterns incongruent

typological concept of what is race

people of different origin

• consistently different; must be distinguishable

• each group is represented by one distinct “average type”

  • individuals within race similar; little variation

human and trait variation

typological concept

• distinct categories

variation concordant

all traits are shared within a population

variation discordant

not all traits are shared within a population

• the more traits we use the more categories (races) we get

humans and discordant traits

typological concept

• distinct categories

BUT variation is

• discordant

  • categories (“races”) depend on traits

humans and clines

typological concept

• distinct categories

BUT many human traits

• clinally distributed

• NO distinct categories

  • do arbitrary categories work?

generally distribution of skin color: 3 categories

geographical distribution of O blood type: 3 categories

frequency of lactose intolerance: 2 categories

skin color, O allele, and lactose intolerance

→ clinal patterns are incongruent

what is race (biologically) definition 2

• interbreeding, usually geographically isolated population differing from other populations of the same species in the frequency of hereditary traits (20-30%) difference

genetic variation in humans

richard lewontin (1972)

• 17 polymorphic genes (blood groups)

• measured heterozygosity

• 1 allele = 0 (no diversity at that locus)

• many alleles = high diversity

• many and no rare alleles = highest diversity

how much diversity is accounted for

within each population

• total diversity between individuals

within each “race”

• total diversity between populations

between “races”

• total diversity between races

7 conventional races

caucasians

• arabs, armenians, austrians, basques, belgians, indians(hindi-speaking), pakistani(urdu-speaking), russians, welsh etc

Amerinds

• aleuts, apache, “brazillian indians”, chippewa, maya, yanomama

black africans

mongolians

south asian aborigines

oceanians

australian aborigines

genetic variations in humans: percentages

within populations

• 85.4% of variation

  • within belgians

within races

• 8.3% of varition

  • between arabs and belgians

between races

• 6.3% variation

  • between caucasions and africans

result

• variation within populations >> within races >_ between races

• less than 10% between races

genetic variation in humans: expectation(from def 2) and observed

expected: most variation between races

findings: most variation within population

genetic diversity in europe

• can distinguish between populations (with error and overlap)

• can be applied to karger geographic areas (with error)

• would have to define as many races as populations

  • still no distinct categories

human biological diversity

cannot be categorized into distinct groups reliably using

• conspicuous markers (such as skin color)

• certain physiological and genetic markers (such as blood groups)

→ the biological race concept using racial types is useless

can be distinguishing more or less reliably using

• many morphological (bone) measurements simultaneously

  • errors and overlap do occur

• whole genome approaches

  • errors and overlap occur

→ is this race as we usually define or use it - depends on markers

learning objectives