- According to Crossman, sociologists generally agree that race is a social construct and that there are no biological determinants of race. The concept of race is always changing and differs between nations. 2.
Full Answer
They are biologically inherited along with such physical characteristics as eye, skin and hair colour. By race anthropologists understand a group of individuals who possess common hereditary traits which separate them from other groups. According to Biesanz “a race is a large group of people distinguished by inherited physical differences.”
Thus, anthropologists have used different bases for their classification of races. Now one character, or combination of characters is regarded as fundamental, and now another. Some anthropologists regard colour as the proper basis, others prefer hair form, head-shape or some other.
According to A.L. Kroeber, “A race is a valid biological concept. It is a group united by heredity, a breed or genetic strain or sub-species.” According to Boas Franz, “Race as a scientific concept applies only to the biological groupings of human types.”
According to Penniman, race is a genetic class in which there are many indefinite and mutually related genetic characteristics, by means of which it can be distinguished from other classes, and on the basis of which the conditions of continuous separation among its offspring and future generation can be distinguished.