Sociohistorical Contextualization

Race does not have a biological meaning, but it is a social construction that has been legally constructed. The “laws”, which underline this inquiry, is a form of behavioral control and an ideology. The “law encompasses a set of institutions, actors, and ideas” that are interconnected, but are rarely working with one another (Lopez, 80). Law, as a system of control or coercion, includes both legislative enactments and judicial decisions that helps reinforce and construct racial discrimination. Law, as an ideology, is the “capacity to shape and constrain how people think about race” (Lopez, 86). It also allows the ability to provide proxy language about race and participates in establishing hegemony.
Sociohistorical contextualization: In order