Ideology And Racism As The Concepts Of Social Sciences

Abstract

This article is set to define and give an in- depth analysis into the explanation and understanding of three key terms and concepts associated with the social sciences. The key terms I have selected which I would be expanding on in the course of this article are ideology, racism and the social sciences as a concept. These three topics are interdisciplinary and as such I will be delivering this article in an analogous manner that will foster a relationship amongst all three of these terms. I will examine the claims and controversies associated with these topics as well as what I have learnt during my research.

Ideology

What is an ideology? The word already denotes some meaning in its own sense. I mean, when we hear the word ‘ideology’, our mind unconsciously hovers over to the word ‘idea’. And in this thinking we would be correct because an ideology practically evolves around ideas and thoughts. But not just your basic ideas or thoughts. No, it actually goes way beyond that. It differs in the sense that it is not limited to an individualistic perception of an idea or thought but rather it is shared ways of thinking. Ideas, beliefs, concepts and thoughts that correspond across a variety of people. They are belief systems that shape our identity and how it is that we see the world around us and others in it. It alters our mindset, our views and shapes how we think about anything and everything.

Now ideologies are not things that we necessarily adopt. It is learnt more of in a passive manner. It is learnt through observations of our immediate environment and the happenings around us and this modify and impact our behavior. It is also learnt in our day-to-day interactions and social relations to find out what is desirable. Ideologies are passively consumed. And it is for this reason that it becomes difficult to decipher whether these beliefs, ideas and theories that we are internalizing are actually true or false.

Ideologies have two divisions and these are the dominant and the counter. The dominant ideologies are the secular values and assumptions by which society judges itself. It relies on the affirmation that the society is indeed able to provide the needed conditions for the equality and freedom of its individuals. On the other hand, the counter ideology does not so much digress from the set framework of values upheld by the dominant ideology but rather in its rooted belief of the incompetence of society in being able to meet those values.

Racism - A Dominant ideology

Tommie Shelby (2014) notes: “An ideology is a widely held set of loosely associated beliefs and implicit judgements that misrepresent significant social realities and that function through this distortion to bring about or perpetuate unjust social relations”. I would not completely agree with this definition of ideology in a general context as it seems injected with personal emotions from my personal point of view. However, for the conceptualization of racism, I would like to adopt Shelby’s definition of an ideology to further take racism into a more detailed analysis because I believe that this definition is perfect in creating coherence for racism as a dominant ideology. Racism is an ideology in the Marxian sense -- which is why it is so widespread. It becomes necessary for one to find the relationship in all forms of racism and its theories by placing them against the goals of the capitalist society and hegemonic strategies. Debates over racism have always been ideological mysteries and queries about race effectively remain questions of ideology. Racism is an ideology that is inseparable from the national or international socio-economic and political state of affairs. Racism is an explicit sort of oppression, of racial inequality. An ideology that deliberately divides individuals in the society along parallel lines based off of color. Color? Yes! Skin color as a matter of fact lest I forget to mention. Sad but it is what it is. This ideology relies on the superiority of the white race as opposed to the inferiority of the black and functioning on this, societies have created their ‘acceptable’ standards of hierarchies. The task of explaining racial difference is coupled with the goal of ending it, thus it involves critique. We’ve seen that one planned clarification of persisting racial injustice is ideology. The cognitivist specifically suggests that the supply of the problem is “a wide control set of loosely associated beliefs and implicit judgments thatmisrepresent important social realities” (Shelby, 2014). If this is often right, then the correct target of ideology critique should be these beliefs and implicit judgments.

This is where the social sciences comes into play. Social Sciences"Both social science and ideology are infused with values at base, but because they are both value laden does not mean that they are the same thing" (Ibid, 71). There is no harm in stating that the theories of social science make value assumptions about the world similar to ideological claims. However, the foremost vital distinction between social science and ideology is reflected in the types of beliefs upheld and how they are upheld. While social science is open to correction and argumentative, the latter is the opposite as it barely and rarely ever gives room for debate and amendments. Nevertheless, without ideologies several commendable achievements in the world today would not even have come to be. This rationale is attributed to the fact that a system of ideas that is shared amongst a group of people is set to better facilitate the individuals in collectively initiating social action. For a positive cause, this rationale would prove to be extremely beneficial but for negative ideologies like racism and sexism, it becomes a living hell that should be curbed for its adverse and unnecessary effects. The social sciences are the mental and cultural sciences which deal with the activities of an individual as a member of society. It includes areas of philosophy, history, sociology, politics, economic, law, anthropology, psychology, linguistics, amongst a wide range of other subjects. Social sciences aim to evaluate social occurrences by supplying law-like generalisations in order to understand this ever-changing society. The target of the social sciences is not necessarily in predicting behaviour but in identifying and explaining their social functions and presence. This is very important because this is a step towards effecting change.

In the social sciences, we study ideologies to become more conscious of how our belief systems in the world is shaped and affect how it is that we see others. We start with certain evidence that for some reason fail to find explanations in the dominant ideology. We do this so that we know when we are causing harm or seeing a different world view that may be detrimental to our societal well-being e. g. racism.