Race, nationality, and migration

Abstract Between the 16th and the 18th centuries, race was a folk idea in the English language and was similar to terms like “kind,” “type,” and “breed.” By the end of the 17th century in North America, the term “race” had emerged as a way to refer to different populations like Africans, Native Americans, and Europeans. By the early 18th century, “race” became more commonly used to refer to distinct peoples (Smedley & Smedley 2005). By the late 18th and early 19th centuries, race played a major role in the myths of national origin (Banton 1987; Miles 1987). In this sense, race and nationality are historically linked and help to constitute each other in references to, for example, a “British race” or “German race” of people.