Race and ethnicity are modern concepts. They have their origins in the global expansion of European societies, which gathered pace from the late fifteenth century onwards. The process of rapid social change that followed culminated in the transformation of European societies from primarily rural-agricultural to urban-industrial formations. This was also a period in which ways of thinking about, and explaining, natural and social phenomenon also began to change as science, in recognisably modern form, gradually developed.

Their growing exploration of other parts of the world brought Europeans increasingly into contact with other human societies, ranging from small isolated groups of hunter-gatherers to large, complex states and empires. What appears to have struck explorers most forcefully, particularly those from England, were differences of physical appearance between themselves and others. The most striking of these seems to have been skin colour and it is notable that an early distinction emerged between those who had what was described as a 'black' in contrast to a 'white' skin.

This characterisation was of considerable importance because of the way in which the colours black and white were emotionally loaded with concepts in the English language. Not only was the contrast one which denoted polar opposites but while 'white' represented good, purity, and virginity, 'black' was the colour of death, evil, and debasement. As a result, it is frequently argued that great care needs to be taken in the use of language in a multi-ethnic society if the reproduction of the negative connotations of blackness is to be avoided.