How is race socially constructed?
If you think about the United States in the 1700s and 1800s, who was black or not was a matter of state definition. You could be black in one state, cross the state line and you’re no longer black. Some states said if you look black, you’re black. Some states said if you have one-quarter black blood, you’re black. Some states said if you had one-sixteenth black blood, you’re black. Some states said if you have one drop of black blood you’re black, so if it was simply a biological fact you couldn’t have all these different ways of thinking about race. Since race is constructed, it’s constructed differently in different places and in different times. For example, in the Dominican Republic, children with the same biological parents can be of a different race. That’s not possible in the United States, but there a light-skinned child of the same biological parents can be white, and a dark-skinned child with the same biological parents can be black. You have a similar situation in Brazil. Ag
