Anthro 102
Human Variation & Adaptation
Historical Views of Human Variation-the “Race Concept” & Racism
Contemporary Interpretations of Human Population Diversity
The Adaptive Significance of Human Variation
Evolutionary Significance of Infectious Disease
Types of Variation
Within group: differences between individuals in the same group
Between group: differences in the average phenotype in different groups
What is a race?
A group of populations sharing biological traits that distinguish them from other such groups
Applied sloppily in humans:
Skin color, national origin, religion
European Racial Classifications
Go back to 1700’s
False belief that intellect and cultural factors are genetically inherited
Classifications by different people don’t agree
Do note traits with geographic patterning (e.g., skin color).
Q: Does biological variation in skin pigmentation support a system of racial classification?
Human Variation—Complex traits like skin pigmentation are continuous; race categories are discrete
History of settlement in the US. Original large populations came from the ends of the pigmentation
spectrum, Europe and West Africa. This has given rise to the idea of 2 distinct races; the middle of the
spectrum, which exists elsewhere, was missing.
Correspondence of Different Traits
A meaningful race concept would have to work for a number of independent traits
Race concepts do not. Different traits lump different human populations together.
Race concepts assume between group variation much greater than within group variation
INCORRECT ASSUMPTION!!
Blood groups, other genetic polymorphisms show that:
88-90% of human genetic variation found within groups
Between group variation (ie European versus African) accounts for 10-12% of total
human genetic variation
Conclusions on “Race”
“Race concept” lacks biological support
False belief that intellect and cultural factors are predominantly genetically determined
Race concept assumes that one's own group is superior to other groups.
Racism is a cultural, not a biological phenomenon, and is found worldwide.
1
Human Variation & Adaptation
Historical Views of Human Variation-the “Race Concept” & Racism
Contemporary Interpretations of Human Population Diversity
The Adaptive Significance of Human Variation
Evolutionary Significance of Infectious Disease
Types of Variation
Within group: differences between individuals in the same group
Between group: differences in the average phenotype in different groups
What is a race?
A group of populations sharing biological traits that distinguish them from other such groups
Applied sloppily in humans:
Skin color, national origin, religion
European Racial Classifications
Go back to 1700’s
False belief that intellect and cultural factors are genetically inherited
Classifications by different people don’t agree
Do note traits with geographic patterning (e.g., skin color).
Q: Does biological variation in skin pigmentation support a system of racial classification?
Human Variation—Complex traits like skin pigmentation are continuous; race categories are discrete
History of settlement in the US. Original large populations came from the ends of the pigmentation
spectrum, Europe and West Africa. This has given rise to the idea of 2 distinct races; the middle of the
spectrum, which exists elsewhere, was missing.
Correspondence of Different Traits
A meaningful race concept would have to work for a number of independent traits
Race concepts do not. Different traits lump different human populations together.
Race concepts assume between group variation much greater than within group variation
INCORRECT ASSUMPTION!!
Blood groups, other genetic polymorphisms show that:
88-90% of human genetic variation found within groups
Between group variation (ie European versus African) accounts for 10-12% of total
human genetic variation
Conclusions on “Race”
“Race concept” lacks biological support
False belief that intellect and cultural factors are predominantly genetically determined
Race concept assumes that one's own group is superior to other groups.
Racism is a cultural, not a biological phenomenon, and is found worldwide.
1
