raceshumans

Raceshumans is a term that appears primarily within speculative fiction and sociological critique to discuss how human populations are categorized into races while recognizing they all belong to the same species, Homo sapiens. The form is not standard in scientific usage; most scholars refer to human races or discuss race as a social construct rather than a biological taxonomy. The compound form can be used as a rhetorical device to highlight the arbitrariness of racial classifications or to describe a world where such divisions are normalized or institutionalized.

Biological background: Modern genetics shows that human genetic variation is gradual and clinal, with no discrete subspecies. The vast majority of variation occurs within populations rather than between them, and race as a biological category has limited utility in science. Consequently, many anthropologists and geneticists treat 'races' as historical or social categories rather than objective biological groups.

Usage in fiction and discourse: In world-building, authors may construct 'races' within humans to explore themes of prejudice, identity, and power. In critical writing, 'raceshumans' could be used to analyze how race is constructed and enforced in communities or institutions.

See also: Race (human); Human genetic diversity; Social construction of race.