Concept of Race (2/25)

“Whatever the longer-term history of images of the ‘other’ in various societies and historical periods it does seem clear that only in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century does the term ‘race’ come to refer to supposedly discrete categories of people defined according to their physical characteristics” - Martin Bulmer

In some ways ancient Greek “racism” was a refined prejudice. In some ways most people’s current conception of racism is prejudice. The difference between the two is that for most the evidence is skin color, but for the ancient Greeks, more specifically Athenians, it was much deeper than that. They exhibited a general cultural discrimination against those who did not hold the same values or customs as them. The disliked the Macedonians on grounds that their very way of life contradicted Athenian thought. For me the Athenian racism seemed a little less vain then current thoughts but I wouldn’t go as far too disagree with certain writers who argue that it was ancient Greek thought which influenced the now, probably more harmful idea.

All of that goes to say that I’m with those current thinkers who perceive racism to be deeper than just prejudice of skin color, and even deeper than what the Greeks were doing. I’m with those who see the systemic nature of racism in the country in particular. Surely, the “-ism” implies some type of system and in this case it is a system of oppression. That being true the Athenians probably had an indirect version of my conception of racism, but neither me nor any historian can really prove this because it’s something less obvious than laws of segregation, but engrained in our very polis such as mainly those affected can attest to its existence.