Race is a socially constructed category used to classify human populations based on physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, and facial features, and often associated with shared ancestry, culture, or geographic origin, despite lacking biological or genetic basis. The concept of race has been historically used to justify systems of hierarchy, privilege, and discrimination, and has evolved over time to reflect shifting social, political, and cultural contexts, including colonialism, slavery, and scientific racism. Contemporary understandings of race recognize its fluidity, complexity, and cultural variability, and emphasize the social, political, and economic dynamics that shape racial identities and experiences.