Diversity: Concepts and Terminology

Overview

Most societies are inappropriate or insensitive in the terminology they use to describe some people. In its most blatant form this insensitivity is apparent in racial, ethnic, gender, religious, and other epithets. It is also evident in more subtle examples, such as observations made by Gordon Allport many years ago, that the refusal of U.S. southern newspapers to capitalize Negro was meant to diminish the stature of Blacks. In addition, certain words develop stereotypical ethnic connotations. Some groups are labeled with supposedly positive stereotypes. For example, in the United States, Asians are often described as a “model minority,” while African Americans are thought to always have rhythm. Although words may not be negative in and of themselves, they can become code words for limiting the experience of an entire group of people and, hence, are disparaging even if they seem to be positive.

Although race does not exist in a biological sense, it is socially constructed and is quite significant in terms of people's response to what they perceive as members of particular racial groups. Consequently, race is quite significant socially. Differences that do exist are primarily social, that is, they are based on one's experiences within a particular cultural group. As a result, it is now generally accepted that the very concept of race is a social construction, that is, a racial group is socially and not biologically determined. There is only one “race,” the human race. However, scholars such as Nieto, and Mukhopadhyay, Henze, and Moses believe racism exists—illogical as it may seem—and that it needs to be acknowledged in schools and other educational settings if it is to be addressed.

Changes in terminology often reflect deliberate attempts by a group to name or rename itself. This decision is political as well as linguistic, and it responds to the need for group self-determination and autonomy. In the United States, a good example is the shift in terminology throughout the years from Negro to Black to Afro-American and more recently to African American. However, the problem with using terms that emphasize only culture, as is the case with African American, is that the very significant differences among people of the same race are obscured because race alone does not define people. For example, African Americans and Haitians are both Black. They share some basic cultural values and are both subjected to racist attitudes and behaviors in the United States. But [Page 677]the particular life experiences, native language usage, and ethnicity of each group are overlooked or even denied if group members are simply called Black rather than also identifying them ethnically. The same is true of immigrants from Africa. All those with roots in Africa also may also use the term African Diaspora as a broader, all-encompassing term for global Black identity.

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