Ann Morning Ordre des livres

Scholars and politicians have often assumed a significant gap in how Americans and Europeans perceive race. In the US, race is linked to physical traits, while in Western Europe, it is seen as a cultural issue. To test this assumption, we gathered empirical evidence by interviewing young Italians and Americans about "descent-based groups." We avoided the narrow and sometimes offensive terms of "ethnicity" and "race," instead asking respondents to share their views on diverse groups like Chinese, Muslims, whites, and Roma. Our findings challenge the belief that there is a substantial divide in perspectives on descent-based differences between Americans and Europeans. While the language used differs across the Atlantic, the underlying beliefs about group differences show considerable overlap. Although there are meaningful distinctions, particularly in the understanding of race as "constructed," the similarities cannot be overlooked. We propose a new framework for understanding concepts of difference, breaking them down into six components: defining traits, associated groups, hierarchy, mechanisms of group formation, and the perceived permanence of traits. This approach reveals four main types of descent-based difference concepts in Italy and their US counterparts: biological essentialism, psychological essentialism, cultural primordialism, and acquired culture. It also highlights where conceptualizations diverge, particularly re