C/S/71. Understanding race and social attitudes

The paper examines how the concept of race has changed over the recent past reviewing previous definitions of race and discussing their influence on racial identity. Sociological approaches to race are described suggesting that the concept is too complex for categorisation, since it is a socially constructed notion with no objective or biological basis. It is argued that the ideas of race need to be constantly updated according to the dynamics of the globalised world. Criticisms of this post-modern view are examined based on universalism in relation to a shared common human heritage.