The Machinery of Racism: A Four-Part Exploration of Race As A Technology

As a research scientist specializing in Africana phenomenology, I have dedicated my career to understanding our society’s complex mechanisms perpetuating racial hierarchies. Through years of study and observation, I’ve conceptualized these mechanisms as a form of technology – tools, techniques, and systems designed to maintain racial power structures. I first came to know the term and technology of race in an interview I had with sociologist Michael Kilman, who introduced me to Dr. Thomas Biolisi, a prominent scholar at the University of California, Berkeley who is a professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies, where he specializes in research related to American Indians, governmentality, race and racism, and Indigenous ecological knowledge and practices.

Biolosi wrote a chapter in a book entitled A Companion to the Anthropology of Politics, in which he introduced the concept of race as a technology. I was so impressed by this work that I featured it in my dissertation. Therefore, In this four-part series, we will explore race technology in depth, examining its four primary components: classifying, stating, mixing, and spacing. Each of these technologies works in concert with the others, creating a pervasive system of racial oppression that has proven remarkably memetic, adaptable, and resilient over time.

Our journey will begin with the technology of classification, exploring how the very act of categorizing humans into racial groups has served as a foundation for racist ideologies and practices. We’ll then move on to the technology of stating, examining how language and discourse shape our understanding of race and reinforce racial hierarchies.

In the third part, we’ll delve into the technology of mixing, investigating how ideas about racial purity and contamination have been used to police racial boundaries and maintain systems of privilege. Finally, we’ll conclude with an exploration of the technology of spacing, looking at how the control of physical and social space has been crucial in perpetuating racial segregation and inequality.

Throughout this series, we’ll draw on insights from history, sociology, psychology, and critical race theory. We’ll examine how these technologies manifest in law, policy, social norms, and individual behaviors. Most importantly, we’ll consider how understanding these technologies can help us in the crucial work of dismantling systemic racism.

As James Baldwin powerfully stated, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” In that spirit, this series aims to face the realities of how racism operates in our society, not to despair, but to empower us with the knowledge needed to effect real change.

By the end of this series, my hope is that you’ll have a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of racial oppression, as well as some ideas about how we can work to dismantle these systems and build a more just and equitable world.

Join me as we embark on this critical exploration of race technology – a journey that promises to be challenging, enlightening, and ultimately, I hope, transformative.

Part 1: The Race Technology of Classification

One of the most insidious tools in the arsenal of racial oppression is known as white supremacy – a set of societal practices and beliefs that perpetuate racial hierarchies. You will learn the science behind “Scientific Racism.” Today, we begin with classification.

Classification—the act of categorizing human beings based on physical characteristics and assumed genetic differences—forms the foundation of racial thinking. It’s a process that has been ongoing for centuries, cloaked in the language of science but serving the interests of power and control.

The roots of racial classification can be traced back to the Age of Enlightenment, a period that paradoxically gave birth to both modern scientific thinking and some of the most pernicious forms of scientific racism. In 1735, Carl Linnaeus, often called the father of modern taxonomy, published his seminal work “Systema Naturae.” In it, he proposed a classification of humans that would have far-reaching consequences:

“Europaeus albus: European white Americanus rubescens: American reddish Asiaticus fuscus: Asian tawny Africanus niger (where the word nigger originated): African black”

This seemingly innocuous categorization laid the groundwork for centuries of racial pseudo-science. It’s crucial to understand that Linnaeus wasn’t merely describing physical differences – he ascribed behavioral and moral characteristics to each group. Europeans were described as “inventive” and “governed by laws,” while Africans were labeled as “crafty, indolent, and negligent.”

The power of classification lies in its ability to create an illusion of natural, immutable categories. Once these categories are established, they begin to take on a life of their own, shaping perceptions and justifying unequal treatment. As anthropologist Michael Kilman notes:

“There’s no such thing as race, at least not biologically. Even though it’s not real, it has an extraordinary amount of power to impact people’s lives.”

This impact became increasingly evident as the pseudo-science of race developed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, building on Linnaeus’s work, proposed his own racial classification in 1779:

“the Caucasian race or white race the Mongolian or yellow race the Malayan or brown race the Ethiopian, or black race the American or red race”

Blumenbach’s use of “Caucasian” to describe white Europeans would have a lasting impact on racial discourse. It’s a term that persists to this day, despite having no basis in biological reality.

The classification of races reached new heights of pseudo-scientific absurdity with the work of individuals like Christoph Meiners. In 1785, Meiners not only classified races but explicitly ranked them, stating that “Black people were inferior, immoral and animal-like” and describing Caucasians as “endowed with clear superiority to all races in both their intellectual as well as moral faculties.”

These ideas were not confined to academic discourse – they directly influenced laws and social policies. The “one-drop rule” in the United States, which classified anyone with any African ancestry as Black, is a prime example of how racial classification was codified into law. This rule, which varied slightly from state to state but was widely enforced, demonstrates the arbitrary nature of racial categories and their use as tools of oppression.

The power of classification as a race technology lies in its ability to create the illusion of clear, distinct racial groups where none naturally exist. As Ta-Nehisi Coates powerfully articulates:

“Race is the child of racism, not the father.”

In other words, racial categories weren’t created because of observed differences between populations – they were created to justify and perpetuate systems of oppression.

The legacy of racial classification continues to shape our world today. While explicit racial hierarchies are no longer accepted in mainstream science or (most) legal systems, the categories themselves persist. We see this in everything from census forms to medical research, where race is often treated as a biological reality rather than a social construct.

Moreover, new forms of classification have emerged, often under the guise of cultural differences rather than biological ones. These cultural classifications can be just as harmful, creating artificial divisions and reinforcing stereotypes.

As Dr. Robin DiAngelo notes in her work on white fragility:

“We must be willing to consider that unless we have devoted intentional and ongoing study, our opinions are necessarily uninformed, even ignorant.”

This statement underscores the importance of critically examining our own assumptions about race and the classifications we take for granted.

The persistence of racial classification as a technology of oppression is perhaps most starkly illustrated in the realm of medicine. Despite growing recognition of race as a social construct, many medical professionals continue to use race as a shorthand for genetic differences. This can lead to misdiagnoses, inadequate treatment, and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes.

For instance, the belief that Black people have “thicker skin” or are more resistant to pain has its roots in the racist classifications of the 18th and 19th centuries. Shockingly, studies have shown that these beliefs persist among some medical professionals today, leading to disparities in pain management and overall care.

The race technology of classification also manifests in more subtle ways in our daily lives. Consider how we often automatically classify people we meet into racial categories, often without conscious thought. This instinctive classification is a learned behavior, one that we’ve absorbed from our social environment. It’s a prime example of what I refer to as a “memeplex” – a self-replicating set of ideas that spreads through culture.

In my research, I’ve found that these classificatory memeplexes are incredibly resilient. Even when confronted with evidence of the arbitrary nature of racial categories, many people struggle to let go of them. This is because these classifications aren’t just ideas – they’re deeply ingrained ways of perceiving and organizing the world.

As Ibram X. Kendi powerfully states in his book “How to Be an Antiracist“:

“The only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it — and then dismantle it.”

This process of identification and dismantling must begin with the foundational technology of classification. We must learn to see racial categories not as natural divisions of humanity, but as constructed tools that have been used to justify inequality and oppression.

One of the most pernicious aspects of racial classification is how it intersects with other forms of oppression. Gender, class, sexuality, and disability all interact with racial categories to create complex systems of privilege and disadvantage. This intersectionality, a term coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, highlights how different systems of oppression and discrimination overlap and interact.

For example, the classification of Black women has historically differed from that of both Black men and white women, resulting in unique forms of discrimination and stereotyping. Understanding these intersections is crucial to dismantling the technology of classification.

It’s important to note that the harm caused by racial classification isn’t limited to its targets. While people of color bear the brunt of racist systems, the false construct of whiteness also damages those who are classified as white. As James Baldwin insightfully observed:

“White people are trapped in a history they don’t understand.”

This trap of whiteness, built on the foundation of racial classification, limits empathy, perpetuates fear, and ultimately diminishes our shared humanity.

So how do we begin to dismantle this technology of classification? The first step is awareness – recognizing the arbitrary and constructed nature of racial categories. This doesn’t mean ignoring the very real impacts of race in our society, but rather understanding race as a social and political reality rather than a biological one.

Education plays a crucial role in this process. We need to teach the history of racial classification, exposing its pseudo-scientific roots and its role in justifying oppression. This education must go beyond simple diversity training to engage with the deep, often uncomfortable realities of how racial thinking has shaped our world.

We must also work to change the systems and institutions that continue to use and reinforce racial classifications. This includes everything from reforming how race is used in medical research to rethinking how we collect demographic data. It’s a complex and challenging process, but a necessary one if we’re to move beyond the limitations of racial thinking.

Finally, we need to actively work to create new ways of understanding human diversity that don’t rely on the flawed technology of racial classification. This doesn’t mean ignoring differences or pretending we live in a “color-blind” society. Rather, it means developing more nuanced, flexible, and humane ways of recognizing and celebrating human diversity.

As we move forward in this series, we’ll explore how the technology of classification interacts with the other components of race technology: stating, mixing, and spacing. Each of these technologies builds upon and reinforces the others, creating a complex system of racial oppression that has proven remarkably resilient over time.

By understanding these technologies and how they operate, we can begin to develop more effective strategies for dismantling them. It’s a challenging task, but a crucial one if we’re to create a more just and equitable society.

In the words of Audre Lorde:

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

As we work to dismantle the technology of racial classification, let us collectively as a Black family move towards a world where human diversity is truly recognized, accepted, and celebrated in all its complexity.

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