I'm surprised that Harry so blithely glosses over Ted's point about how spatial distribution of ethnicity may shape demand for various medical specialisms -- indeed, one might amplify the point to include demand for (and supply of) all kinds of activities, from language classes to halal slaughterhouses, of interest to those involved in planning provision in both public and private sector organisations.
Julian
> -----Original Message-----
> From: email list for Radical Statistics [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of FELDMAN,Harry
> Sent: 21 December 2010 01:37
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [RADSTATS] Religion and the census
>
> Dear Ted,
>
> The salience of racial varieties of other organisms is suggestive, but
> doesn't actually evidence an analogous phenomenon in human populations.
>
> In my view, the most useful approach to race is to recognise it as a
> social construct. As I understand it, construction of a race entails
> 'biologising' the purported racial traits - the racist believes them to be
> heritable, whether skin, eye, or hair colour, texture, or shape; religion,
> language, accent, surname, religion of forebears, or what have you -
> racists are not real particular about what they essentialise about the
> population to be discriminated against. In this sense, then, 'cultural
> racism' just places a veneer over the fundamental biologisation. If
> you're looking for a Paki to bash up, you don't enquire closely into their
> place of birth, mother tongue, or any other cultural trapping - if they
> 'look like a Paki', that's good enough.
>
> As long as discrimination goes on, it is worth collecting data about race,
> or as close as we can come to such an ill-defined and poorly understood
> category.
>
> In solidarity,
>
>
> Harry Feldman
> Safe Work Australia
> Data & Analysis Section
> Strategic Policy Branch
> GPO Box 641
> Canberra ACT 2601
> Location code: C220NB2
> Phone (02) 6240 6812
>
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