Race

 Race is one of those terms which are used with a variety of meanings.
 The term sometimes used as synonymous with nationality; thus French, Chinese and
German are spoken of as races.
 Sometimes it has been frequently confused with language, as well as with religion.
 Sometimes used to denote the classification of human beings on the basis of the Skin’s
colour such as white race or black race.

Race as a Biological Concept

 They are biologically inherited along with such physical characteristics as eye, skin and
hair colour.
 A group of people individual who posses common hereditary traits which separate them
from other groups.
 Some writers are of the opinion that the race is based hereditary because races have been
largely intermixed.
 So the term should be used in its genetic sense.

Definition of Race

 Green – “A race is a large, biological human groping, with a number of distinctive

inherited characteristics which vary within a certain range.
 Biesanz – “A race is a large group of people distinguished by inherited physical
difference”.
 Penniman – “Race is a genetic class in which there are many indefinite and mutually
related genetic characteristics”.

Three Main Races:

 The classification of races into Negroes, Mongoloid, and Caucasians seems to have been
largely accepted.
 Although there are no clear-cut lines separating them, there being considerable
overlapping, each stock is marked by certain characteristics which are more or less
common to all its members.
  The Negroes, with their black skin, projecting jaws, broad nose and curly hair include
the Melanesians, who have a lighter skin and slightly different nose from the Negro
group.
 The Mongoloid or yellow race has lighter skin, prominent cheek bones, olive-shaped
eyes and straight black hair. In this group American Indians are included. Some
anthropologists regard Whites as a separate race, while others consider them an offshoot
of the Mongoloid race.
 The Caucasians overlap with other races.

Races in India – Sir Herbert Risley

 Pre-Dravidian – primitive tribe of the hills and jungles.

 The Dravidian – southern place upto the Gangetic valley.
 The Indo-Aryan – Kashmir, Panjab and Rajputana.
 The Aryo-Dravidian – Gangetic valley.
 The Cytho-Dravidian – East of Indus.
 The Mongoloid – Assam and the foot hills of eastern Himalayas.
 The Mongolo Dravidian type.

 The Dravidian type:

The stature of these people is short or below medium. The complexion is dark, approaching
to black. The hair is similarly dark and plentiful with an occasional tendency to curl. The eye
colour is also dark. The head is long and the nose is very broad, sometimes depressed at the
root.

 The Indo-Aryan type:

This type is the most close to the traditional Aryans who colonized India. The people are tall
statured with fair complexion, dark eyes, and plentiful hair on face and body.

 The Mongoloid type:

The most important characteristic features of this type are broad-head, dark complexion with
yellowish tinge and scanty hair on face and body. The stature is usually short or below
medium. The nose shows a wide range of variation, from fine to broad.

 The Aryo-Dravidian type:

The complexion varies from light brown to black. The nose is usually medium, although the
broad nose is not uncommon.
 The Mongolo-Dravidian type:

The members of this type are characterized by broad and round heads with a tendency
towards medium dark complexion and plentiful hair on face. The nose is usually medium
with a tendency towards flatness.

 The Scytho-Dravidian type:

The people of this type possess medium to broad head, low to medium stature, fair
complexion, and a moderately fine nose, which is not conspicuously long. The hair is scanty
on face and body.

 The Turko-Iranian type:

This type is characterized by broad heads and fine to medium nose, which is long and
prominent. The stature is fairly tall and the average height of the males varies from 162cm to
172cm. Although the eyes are dark in colour, grey eyes are not uncommon. Complexion of
the people is generally fair; plentiful hair is found on face and body.