Race theorists have been unable to reach a consensus regarding the basic historical question, “is ‘race’ modern?” I argue that this is partly because the question itself is ambiguous. There is not really one question that race scholars are answering, but at least six. First, is the concept of race modern? Second, is there a modern concept of race that is distinct from earlier race concepts? Third, are “races” themselves modern? Fourth, are racialized groups modern? Fifth, are the means and methods associated with racialization modern? And sixth, are the meanings attached to racialized traits modern? Because these questions have different answers, the debate about the historical origins of “race” cannot be resolved unless they are distinguished. I will explain the ways in which “race” is and is not modern by answering these questions, thereby offering a resolution to a seemingly intractable problem.

种族理论家一直未能就基本的历史问题“种族”现代吗？达成共识。我认为这部分是因为问题本身是模棱两可的。种族学者回答的确实不是一个问题，但至少是六个。首先，种族的概念是现代的吗？其次，有没有一个现代的种族概念与早期的种族概念不同？第三，“种族”本身是现代的吗？第四，种族化群体是否现代化？第五，与种族化有关的手段和方法是现代的吗？第六，种族特质的含义现代？因为这些问题有不同的答案，所以除非加以区分，否则就无法解决有关“种族”的历史渊源的辩论。我将通过回答这些问题来解释“种族”现代与不现代的方式，从而为看似棘手的问题提供解决方案。