Quiz 4 AMST Key Words

Anthropometry

The scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human body

Social Darwinism

The application of biological concepts on natural selection and survival of the fittest to races

Extinction Thesis

The argument that some races were doomed to extinction because of their intrinsic biological inferiority

Biological Determinism

The idea that “biology is destiny” and that complex characteristics like intelligence, artistic aptitude, or athletic promise are dictated by our genetic code

Eugenics

The “race science” dedicated to protecting and improving the human population from genetic contamination

Essentialism

The belief that racial characteristics are innate, natural, and immutable; The idea that race is a human essence, a “true” or “real” part of a person’s body, soul, and personality

Redlining

The practice of denying services to residents of certain geographic area based on the racial or ethnic composition of those areas

Post-Racialization

The concept that we are living in an era in which racialization is no longer relevant to American life; A period in which racism is over

Neurosexism

Scientifc or social practices that reinforce the idea that men’s and women’s brains are built differently and that gendered expectations reflect fundamental neural differences between men and women

Intersectionality

The interconnected nature of social categorization such as race, class, sexuality, and gender