Caucasian Definition
Race
‘A Caucasian people, the Uighurs speak a Turkic language that is most like that spoken by the Uzbeks.’ ‘But the German army did not capture the main Caucasian oil region.’ ‘He is a senior associate at the Historical Research Center in Washington with special interest in the Caucasian and Caspian regions of the former Soviet Union.’. Caucasian (adj.) 1807, of or pertaining to the Caucasus Mountains (q.v.), with -ian. Applied to the 'white' race 1795 (in Latin) by German anthropologist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752-1840), who in his pioneering treatise on anthropology distinguished mankind into five races: Mongolian, Ethiopian, Malay, (Native) American, and Caucasian. Caucasian (adj.) 1807, of or pertaining to the Caucasus Mountains (q.v.), with -ian. Applied to the 'white' race 1795 (in Latin) by German anthropologist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752-1840), who in his pioneering treatise on anthropology distinguished mankind into five races: Mongolian, Ethiopian, Malay, (Native) American, and Caucasian.
Caucasian Definition Francais
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (PEP). Updated annually. Population and Housing Unit Estimates
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS). Updated annually. American Community Survey
About
The Race estimates of the population are produced for the United States, states, and counties by the Population Esimates Program and the race estimates of the population are produced for Puerto Rico, muncipios (county-equivalents for Puerto Rico), places, zona urbanas and comunidades (place-equivalents for Puerto Rico), and minor civil divisions by the American Community Survey.
OMB requires that race data be collectd for a minimum of five groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. OMB permits the Census Bureau to also use a sixth category - Some Other Race. Respondents may report more than one race.
The concept of race is separate from the concept of Hispanic origin. Percentages for the various race categories add to 100 percent, and should not be combined with the percent Hispanic.
Definition
White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as 'White' or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Arab, Moroccan, or Caucasian.
Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as 'Black or African American,' or report entries such as African American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.
American Indian and Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. This category includes people who indicate their race as 'American Indian or Alaska Native' or report entries such as Navajo, Blackfeet, Inupiat, Yup'ik, or Central American Indian groups or South American Indian groups.
Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. This includes people who reported detailed Asian responses such as: 'Asian Indian,' 'Chinese,' 'Filipino,' 'Korean,' 'Japanese,' 'Vietnamese,' and 'Other Asian' or provide other detailed Asian responses.
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who reported their race as 'Fijian,' 'Guamanian or Chamorro,' 'Marshallese,' 'Native Hawaiian,' 'Samoan,' 'Tongan,' and 'Other Pacific Islander' or provide other detailed Pacific Islander responses.
Two or more races. People may choose to provide two or more races either by checking two or more race response check boxes, by providing multiple responses, or by some combination of check boxes and other responses. For data product purposes, 'Two or More Races' refers to combinations of two or more of the following race categories: 'White,' 'Black or African American,' American Indian or Alaska Native,' 'Asian,' Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander,' or 'Some Other Race'
Data users should be aware of methodology differences that may exist between different data sources.
Methodology for U.S. and Puerto RicoYou have probably heard the term caucasian thrown around when talking about race, while at other times, people used the word white. If you were confused by that and were left wondering what the difference between the two was, we’ve got you covered. The difference between white and caucasian is quite simple. Both are used to denote a race.
However, only one is considered correct nowadays. The correct word is white, while caucasian is generally avoided because of its vagueness. White is the color of the skin, which also denotes a race while caucasian has a much more complicated definition that makes it quite antiquated.
The History Of The Term
White Caucasian Definition
The caucasian race is an outdated way to group humans according to the color of their skin. In the past, it was used to group people by biology and group them according to their historical race classification. This caucasian race included people from Europe, Western, Central, and South Asia, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa. The term was introduced in 1780, so it is not hard to conclude that it could be problematic. It was presented by the anthropologist Johann Friedric Blumenbach.
Caucasian Definition
Originally the term was used to denote one of the three great races of humanity. These three races were the Caucasoid, the Mongoloid and the Negroid race. The term caucasoid was used for many phenotypically similar groups, although they all came from different regions. It focused on the shape of the skeleton, mostly the skull, and it did not pay attention to the color of the skin. People that were considered Caucasoid in the past were not only white; the group included people with dark brown complexions as well.
Is It Still Used Today?
The term was used often until the second half of the 20th century when anthropologists started moving away from these types of understandings of biological diversity. They moved towards a more genomic oriented perspective, and race became something completely different than we believed it to be before.
The race is much more complex than simply biology and the shape of the skull, and it is based on the ancestry and phenotype, but it also includes cultural factors. The concept of race grew beyond anthropology and is even more often used and explored in social sciences.
The term caucasian is still somewhat used as a way to classify people based on biological traits, mostly in forensic anthropology. There, scientists use it to identify the genealogy of excavated human remains using various measurements and interpretations. Nowadays, the term caucasian is still used as a synonym for white sometimes, but this is wrong and should be avoided.
Many criticize the use of the term this way, and by exploring its history, it is clear to see why. The word white should be used when we want to denote the white race, and the term caucasian should be avoided, given that its history can be tied to racist practices. The caucasian race is fabricated, and while the white race can be a bit tricky to define, it is the generally accepted term.