The Future of Race

By: Nabeel Fargo

It is always important to understand many important aspects about one’s life as well as the history, and in this essay we will be exploring the future of scientific understanding of what Race is, but before we begin exploring the future of race we need to know the real meaning of race, or in other words its definition according to our society today. And so what is race? The term race refers to classifications of humans into populations or groups based on various factors, such as their culture, language, social practice or heritable characteristics. On the other hand, the biological definition of race is a population of interbreeding species that develops distinct characteristics differing from other populations of the same species. Especially as caused by geographical isolation. What we can draw from both definitions is the fact that race classifies groups based on several factors that distinguish a certain race from another. For many people and for many scientists the history of race is clear. However, the future of race is not clear enough for many others due to the fact that the future cannot be determined by the human mind.

One of the many interesting things that I came across was a theory that explains what will happen in the future as far as race at large, and this theory is called the race of the future theory, this theory states that due to the process of miscegenation which is the mixing of different ethnicities or races or interbreeding, in marriage, cohabitation, or sexual relations, all the races are blending to become one race in the near future which also results in a very important issue of identity confusion where people will not be able to know their family history or where they are originally from. One key word which I think is quiet important and should be highlighted is miscegenation, and the definition of this word according to Webster’s dictionary is the mixing of races; especially through marriage, cohabitation, or sexual intercourse between a white person and a member of another race. I personally think the race of the future theory is the most accurate theory out there as far as science goes. However, I do not completely agree with the fact that there will only be one race in the future due to miscegenation.

What I also found interesting in my simple research about the future of race was the fact that almost all scientists agree that at some point in the future there will only be one race due to interbreeding, in other words almost all scientists agree with the race of the future theory suggesting the occurrence of only one single mixed race. On the other hand, Other scientists believe that the idea of having only one race will not take place any time in the near future because God will intervene or He will not allow that from happening. At the same time a small number of scientists believe that the world will end in 2012, Thus there is not enough time for the development of having only one mixed race in the near future due to the lack of time.

One of the leading figures in the study of race and its future was Count Richard Nikolaus von Coudenhove-Kalergi who distinctly advocated race mixing, and one thing I found quiet interesting in his book Praktischer Idealismus which he wrote in 1925 was where he talks about the race of the future and explains specifically what it will most likely be, “The man of the future will be of mixed race. Today's races and classes will gradually disappear owing to the vanishing of space, time, and prejudice. The Eurasian-Negroid race of the future, similar in its appearance to the ancient Egyptians, will replace the diversity of peoples with a diversity of individuals.” (Kalergi, 87). I personally do not understand what Kalergi bases his argument on when he says the future race will be very similar in its appearance to the ancient Egyptians. However, his predictions for the future have still not been fully fulfilled yet but many agree with Kalergi mainly because in the United States, according to recent studies reveal that the proportion of Multiracial American children is growing. Interracial partnerships are rising, as well as transracial adoptions. In 1990, about 14% of 18-19 year-olds, 12% of 20-21 year-olds, and 7% of 34-35 year-olds were involved in interracial relationships. And what was interesting about this study was the fact that the number of interracial relationships 10 years later, increased by 6-8 percent for all 3 groups. Another aspect which many forget to think about is the fact that having one race could mean that we will be facing many dilemmas in the near future due to the mixing of races, and one of the main dilemmas that we are going to face in the future according to Dr. Henry Gates is identity confusion, where people will not be able to know their origin or where their own families came from.

In conclusion, the future of race to me seems very unclear from a scientific perspective due to the fact that we see how the number of people who are intermarrying is increasing and the mixing of different races is also increasing, however, I believe that there are several circumstances that could play a big role in determining what will happen or take place in the future as far as race. I was personally interested in exploring the future of race because I tend to hear people question the future of race and I see how there is still not an answer that could satisfy all the questions asked about race and its future. Clearly this subject of the future of race is still undergoing a lot of studies and research but at the same time I believe that although the number of intermarriages or miscegenation is increasing, the world will never reach that point of having one single race that is a mixed race of Eurasian-Negroid, similar in its appearance to the ancient Egyptians. This topic helped me learn several new things about race and how it is viewed by scientists and other individuals in our society today and how race will be viewed in the future.