Ch. 10: Race and Ethnicity Flashcards
Describe the salience principle.
The idea that we categorize people on the basis of what appears to be initially prominent and obvious
What is race?
A group treated as distinct in society based on certain traits, some biological, that have been assigned social importance.
Define racial formation.
The process by which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and/or destroyed
What is racialization?
When some social category, such as a social class or nationality, takes on what is perceived to be racial characteristics
What is an ethnic group?
A social category of people who share a common culture and who define themselves as having a collective identity.
What is panethnicity?
When multiple ethnic groups come together to forge a new collective identity for some common purpose.
What is a minority group?
Any distinct group in society that shares common group characteristics and occupies low status in society because of the power that a dominant group has over them.
What is prejudice?
The evaluation of a social group and its members that is based on misconceptions and false generalizations
What is discrimination?
The unequal treatment of members of some social group solely because of their membership in that group
What are audit studies?
Research projects wherein two people identical in nearly all respects present themselves as potential tenants or employees
What is a stereotype?
An oversimplified set of beliefs about members of a social group.
What is the main difference between prejudice and discrimination?
Prejudice is an attitude, while discrimination is overt behavior
What is stereotype interchangeability?
The principle that negative stereotypes are often interchangable from one racial group to another
What is stereotype threat?
The effect of a negative stereotype about one’s self upon one’s own test performance.
Define racism.
The perception and treatment of a racial or ethnic group as inferior to the dominant group.
What are the four types of racism?
Traditional, aversive, implicit bias, and colorblind
What is traditional racism?
Racism that may include physical assaults, from beatings to lynching
What is aversive racism?
Subtle, nonovert, and nonobvious racism.
What is implicit bias?
An unconcious form of racism
What is colorblind racism?
When individuals prefer to ignore legitimate differences and insist race problems will go away
What is laissez-faire racism?
Maintaining the status quo of racial groups by persistent stereotyping and blaming on minority groups
What is white privilege?
The benefits that white people receive in a society based on racial inequality
What is institutional racism?
Racism involving notions of racial or ethnic inferiority that have become ingrained into society’s institutions
What is the largest minority population in the United States?
Latinos/as
Define anti-Semitism.
Prejudice, hostility, and discrimination against Jewish people.
Define racial stratification.
A system of inequality in which race and ethnicity mark differential access to economic, social, political, and cultural resources.
Define economic inequality.
The persistent income gap between white people and people of color.
Define segregation.
The spatial and social separation of racial and ethnic groups
Describe assimilation theory.
The process by which a minority group becomes absorbed into a host society.
What question does the culture-structure debate ask about inequality?
Do people’s cultural values cause inequality?
What is the basic premise of the class-race debate?
Class is now more important than ever in shaping people’s life chances.
Describe intersectional theory.
Class, race, and gender combine to create a matrix of domination
