Racism is discrimination and prejudice against people based on their
race or
ethnicity. Racism can be present in social actions, practices, or political systems (e.g.
apartheid) that support the expression of
prejudice or aversion in discriminatory practices. The ideology underlying racist practices often assumes that humans can be subdivided into distinct groups that are different in their social behavior and innate capacities and that can be ranked as inferior or superior. Racist ideology can become manifest in many aspects of social life. Associated social actions may include
nativism,
xenophobia,
otherness,
segregation,
hierarchical ranking,
supremacism, and related social phenomena.