Basic Terminology Flashcards
integrated system of learned behavior patterns characteristic of the members of any given society; total way of life of particular groups of people
culture
social construction used to classify human beings based on physical appearance; origin of the construction of race based on biological determinism (or genetic determinism), drawing conclusions between appearance and biology; biological determinism = theory that argues that humans’ appearance, behavior and fate is determined by genes or biology
race
“…refers to a segment or subset of a larger society whose members are thought by themselves and/or others to share a common culture (beliefs, ideals, values, meanings, customs
artifacts), which sets them off from other groups in the society. However, these individuals also share a common ancestry or origin (real or imagined)—and thus may have similar or common geno-phenotypical traits—that distinguish them from other members of society as well.”
ethnicity
losing or choosing to deny one’s cultural background in order to be accepted by the dominant culture
cultural assimilation
adapting to dominant culture without denying one’s culture of origin
acculturation
African philosophical framework which entails access to knowledge via the intellect and the spirit; intelligent energy of the Divine
consciousness
sociological concept defined by W.E.B. Dubois as the contradiction between social values and daily experience lived by African-Americans; describes the tensions of attempting to live out one’s identity as a person of African descent while a the same time perceiving themselves through the lens of White standards and White contempt
double consciousness
set of values, ideologies, practices, and/or policies that are dominant within a culture; tends to benefit those who are at the intersection of the following social categories: White, male, adult, heterosexual, middle/upper class, Christian, and able-bodied
hegemony
the ability to advance in society and/or “get things done” because one belongs to a race, culture, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic background, sexuality, religion, ability that is favored by the hegemony; ways (conscious or unconscious) in which groups of people benefit from oppressive systems within a society
privilege
coined by Chester Pierce in 1970 to describe unconscious insults non-black Americans aim at black people; “…everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.”
microaggressions
feminist sociological theory coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 suggesting importance of examining how social categories like gender, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, religion (and other axes of identity) interact on multiple levels at the same time contributing to systemic injustice and social inequality; also forms of oppression are shaped by each other
intersectionality
