Born This Way? Students' Beliefs About the Biological and Social Construction of Race and Other Identities

• In Event: 33.079 - Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 33.079-15 - Race, Ethnicity, and Emerging Identities

Abstract

Shifting societal contexts, including increased attention to using biotechnology for social progress, compel us to continue to examining how social identities are understood by college students. This study examines the constructed nature of race in comparison to other social identities (e.g., gender, class, sexual orientation) utilizing interviews with 40 undergraduate students recruited from two large, public, research universities on the U.S. West Coast. Findings outline three biological manifestations influencing students’ beliefs about complex social categories: Biology relates to immutability and controllability of social identities, understanding different identities varies on the extent to which they are biological, and when biology manifests it functions as truth. Implications for social justice education and the teaching of identity in changing contexts will be discussed.

Authors

• Marc P. Johnston-Guerrero, The Ohio State University

• Vu Tran, The Ohio State University