Racial segregation

Quick Facts: Who was Racial segregation?

Subject:

Racial segregation

Known for:

The separation of people into distinct racial or ethnic groups in daily life.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by people of different races. Specifically, it may be applied to activities such as eating in restaurants, drinking from water fountains, using public toilets, attending schools, going to movie theaters, riding buses, renting or purchasing homes, renting hotel rooms, going to supermarkets, or attending places of worship. In addition, segregation often allows close contact between members of different racial or ethnic groups in hierarchical situations, such as allowing a person of one race to work as a servant for a member of another race. Racial segregation has generally been outlawed worldwide.

Career & Major Achievements

Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the 2002 Rome Declaration of Statute of the International Criminal Court. Segregation is defined by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance as "the act by which a (natural or legal) person separates other persons on the basis of one of the enumerated grounds without an objective and reasonable justification, in conformity with the proposed definition of discrimination. As a result, the voluntary act of separating oneself from other people on the basis of one of the enumerated grounds does not constitute segregation". According to the UN Forum on Minority Issues, "The creation and development of classes and schools providing education in minority languages should not be considered impermissible segregation if the assignment to such classes and schools is of a voluntary nature." Voluntary racial segregation can be explained with voluntary in-group preference. Involuntary racial segregation was often used to secure the advantages enjoyed by a certain dominant group, e.g. Mongols, Bantu, and Aztecs.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Before modern concepts of race developed, some states enforced separation based on ethnicity or religion. In late antiquity, Roman law also restricted some marriages between Roman provincials and barbarian soldiers. In Visigothic Spain, legal distinctions between Goths and Romans persisted until they were formally eliminated in 654. In medieval Ireland, the Statutes of Kilkenny of 1366 prohibited marriage and other close relations between the English and Irish. Several laws which enforced racial segregation of foreigners from Chinese were passed by the Han Chinese during the Tang dynasty.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1366: 1366 Milestone — In medieval Ireland, the Statutes of Kilkenny of 1366 prohibited marriage and other close relations between the English and Irish.
2. 2002: 2002 Milestone — Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the 2002 Rome Declaration of Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Racial segregation

True or False: “Racial segregation was never enforced based on ethnicity before the modern concept of race developed.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Historical instances show that separation was enforced based on ethnicity or religion long before modern racial concepts, such as in Roman law restricting marriages.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abba Eban — Historical peer (Died in 2002) (2002): Israeli diplomat, politician, and scholar of Arabic and Hebrew languages.
• Adolph Green — Historical peer (Died in 2002) (2002): American lyricist and playwright known for his long-running, witty partnership with Betty Comden.
• Racial segregation in the United States — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Systemic separation of races in US life, law, and public services.
• Racial unrest in Cairo, Illinois — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Period of intense racial unrest and decline in Cairo, Illinois, spanning from 1967 to 1973.
• Radala — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: A Sinhala aristocratic subcaste originating from the nobility of the former Kandy Kingdom.
• Raden Saleh — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Pioneering Romantic painter from the Dutch East Indies, considered Indonesia's first modern artist.

Frequently Asked Questions about Racial segregation