What does miscegenation mean?

What is miscegenation?

Word coined in 1863 that referred to the mixing of races, in regards to producing mixed race offspring.

Definition

Term referring to where two distinct minorities are involved, such as in living together, or in having a more sexual intimacy with each other.

A more clinical term for the mixing of races, or for interracial coupling.

History

From the Latin 'miscere' which means to mix, and the Latin 'genus' which means kind or race.

In Ancient History, the mingling of races, was part of a way to assimilate them into the dominant society of the time. This is one reason, many object to such inter racial mingling. Most ancient civilizations had some form of racial mixing, and periods where it was prohibited, or frowned upon.

Generally it was encouraged, and in many instances, occurred because of various circumstances.

After WWI, there was a shortage of males in the UK, of British Heritage, but an abundance of women. At that time, there were numerous males in the British Isles, of non European race, that helped fill the shortage.

About

There are some who claim such a mixing was man's way of one race adapting to new climate or locations, in order for them to survive.

Others blame this 'adaption' on the mixing of races to the point of negating the natural order, where one group was forced upon another.

There are some who still believe that the mingling of races, has been a negative influence, and that it has diluted various cultural aspects of those mixed races.

Cultural purity is the claim, though opponents label it as racism, while both sides lay claim to the other being selfish, ignoring the realities of the natural order, as they believe it to be.

Practice (Associated Acts): The word was coined in 1863, in the US during the lead up to the Civil War. It was created to discredit the Republican Party, and is credited as being concocted by the New York World ( Democrat Party supporter ).

It was coined, to provide a definition of racial mixing, to distinguish the mingling of the white and black races, so as to make them indistinguishable.

Noteworthy: Considered to be a negative term, even scholars today tend to ignore its use, when discussing the mingling of races. The reason usually given is because the word was used in many legal declarations, that prohibited or restricted the sexual and cohabitation of mixed races, most notably white and black.

Some consider it insulting due to its premise that the mixing of the two races was to dilute both races, and was coined to further acerbate political tensions at the time.

In 1967, the US Supreme Court struck down the Anti Miscegenation Laws, which voided any remaining such laws, which was still on the books in sixteen US States.

Related Terms

The Nazis used the Nuremburg Laws to restrict interracial marriage and sex.

South Africa had its apartheid laws for the same purpose.

In the USA, many states that had Anti Miscegenation Laws included cohabitation with not just blacks, but with Native Americans, and Asians.

These laws were based on the concept of protecting racial purity.