Final answer:
Most anthropologists concur that race is not a valid biological category but is a social construct. Historical categorizations based on physical traits don't align with genetic evidence, which shows vast overlap between so-called racial groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Kottak, most anthropologists agree that the concept of race is not scientifically valid. Rather than resting on a biological foundation, race is understood as a social construction that reflects societal divisions based on physical appearance and historical and cultural contexts. Biological anthropology and genetic research expose that human variation does not conform neatly to the racial categories that societies have constructed based on superficial traits like skin color or hair texture. These findings suggest that while physical characteristics can be grouped in certain ways, they do not support the rigid racial divisions that have been used to categorize human populations.
The understanding of race has evolved, with historical approaches to categorizing races based on geography, ethnicity, or skin color falling out of favor. Contemporary perspectives emphasize that any attempt to divide the human species into biologically distinct groups is both arbitrary and unsupported by genetic evidence. This approach is supported by organizations such as the American Association of Anthropologists, recognizing that societal constructs of race continue to exert significant influence, even as biological explanations have been discredited.