History and Culture Define Race in America

Guest: Jacqueline Chen, PhD, Assistant Professor of Social Psychology, University of Utah When you’re asked to check a box for your racial identity on a questionnaire – like the US Census – does it ever give you a moment’s pause? Maybe you’re white and the answer is automatic. Maybe your parents or grandparents married someone with skin color different from their own. So, which are you? Does race just mean skin color? Or is it as much about where you come from?   The way we, in America, think about race, is directly tied to the history of race relations in this country.  And to prove that, University of Utah social psychologist Jacqueline Chen did an experiment comparing Americans and Brazilians on a series of questions about race. The results are thought-provoking.