That's the conclusion of the American Anthropological Association. The continued sharing of genetic materials has maintained all of humankind as a single species. Instead, many scholars argue, race is an artificial social mechanism, invented in 18th-century America, when European settlers sought to differentiate themselves from the native Americans they found and the African slaves they brought over. But even that term is hard to pin down.
Ethnicity typically relates to nationality.
And the Census Bureau next year is going to break out certain categories, such as Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese, when it asks for a person's ethnic origin. Since it's a language-based designation, it's impossible to know. The grouping links Argentines of European descent with indigenous people in Guatemala whose culture predates Columbus. Ultimately, such designations say more about how people see themselves than about how the US population really divides, demographers say. From that perspective, ethnicity and especially race carry important social meanings that continue to color the outlook of many Americans.