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Nicholas A. Banta
Professor Marie Lo
University Studies 101A
15 October 2014

Race: A Socially Mediated Idea

In Ian F. Haney Lopezs book, White by Law, he discusses many different
aspects of race. In the first chapter, entitled White Lines, Lopez refers to race as a
socially mediated idea. Its a very bold statement to be made by one person, but
throughout this chapter he heavily reinforces that concept. In order to fully understand
what he means by a socially mediated idea, we have to break down each individual
word in relation to race.
If we look at race as a social concept, it seemingly holds a less-than-formal place
in our world. You also must realize that something that is social is more of a fluid
concept that changes as it moves from person to person and place to place. Yes, the
word race has a solid dictionary definition, but it holds different meaning for each
individual as it pertains to them. Citing Lopezs statement on page 10, he says, Little to
date has been written on the legal construction of race, which would leave some to
believe that it holds more weight as a social construct than a legal one.
The second thing we have to look at is race as a mediated concept. Now, if race
were a legally mediated concept as opposed to a socially mediated concept it would
have a more solid foothold in our legal system. On page 23, Lopez states that, More
than a few judges expressed considerable consternation over the indeterminacy of the

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prerequisite language in its reference to whites. Considering the fact that white or
caucasian are both considered races in todays society, we can clearly see that the
legal system does not have the concept nailed down. The definition of race is therefore
mediated by the general public, and its definitions range from philosophical to wholly
uneducated.
The last concept that we have to look at is race as an idea. Race is used today
like a badge that we pin on each other. To some, its as simple as one of those Hello,
My Name Is stickers, but to others, its their entire life. To understand race as an
idea, you must understand that heritage and race are two entirely different things.
Heritage is your cultural background, traditions, and history. Race is the literal division of
humankind. Back before colonization and the shifting of different cultures from place to
place, race may have held a standard based on the region that you came from, but now
that nearly the entire world has become a melting pot of different cultures, it doesnt
have a clear, distinct definition. It is an idea.
Bringing all of those concepts together, it is clear that we live in a world where
race is, in fact, a socially mediated idea. We as a people have a good understanding of
what race is, but no single person places the verdict on what race is or is not. There
may come a time where a general consensus is reached, but we are very far off from
that day.