Ch 11. Race and Ethnicity Flashcards
Race
a socially constructed category of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important
(race comes into being only when the members of society decide that some particular physical trait (such as skin color or eye shape) actually matters.
Ethnicity
A shared cultural heritage
Prejudice
a rigid and unfair generalization about an entire category of people
Three major findings regarding the social distance scale
- The long-term trend is that students are more accepting of all minorities
- Today’s students see less difference among various minorities
- The concern over terrorism in the world has increased prejudice toward Arabs and Muslims.
Racism
The belief that one racial category is innately superior or inferior to another
Scapegoat
a person or category of people, typically with little power whom people unfairly blame for their own troubles
Scapegoat Theory
Prejudice springs from frustration among people who are themselves disadvantaged.
Discrimination
unequal treatment of various categories of people. practices that deny members of particular groups equal access to resources and rewards
Racialized group or visible minority?
racialized group
Self-determined (ethnicity)
may be ascribed by society but must be asserted by the individual.
People define themselves- or others- as members of an ethnic category based on common ancestry, language, or religion that gives them a distinctive social identity.
The Bogardus Social Distance Scale
Social distance scale - How closely people are willing to interact with members of another social category
- Strangers
- Acquaintances
- Colleagues
- Friends
- Close Family/Friends
Neighborhood diversity index
The probability that one’s neighbor belongs to an ethnic/racialized/religious group other than yours.
It Maps the difference between social integration and ethnic enclaves
Stereotypes
a simplified description applied to every person in some category
Authoritarian Personality Theory (Understanding Prejudice)
Authoritarian personalities rigidly conform to conventional cultural values and see moral issues as clear-cut matters of right and wrong.
Culture Theory (Understanding Prejudice)
Everyone has some prejudice because it is embedded in culture
Conflict Theory (Understanding Prejudice)
Prejudice is used as a tool by powerful people not only to justify privilege for themselves but also to oppress others.
Institutional Prejudice and Discrimination
bias built into the operation of society’s institutions, including schools, hospitals, police, and the work place
The Thomas theorem application to stereotypes
“situations that are defined as real become real in their consequences” – stereotypes can become real to people who believe them and sometimes even to those who are victimized by them.
Racial differences in mental abilities result from environment, not biology
Canada’s history of racism
- Slavery practiced before Confederation
- More recently, researchers found evidence of an interplay between racism, sexism, and immigration
Majority and Minority: Patterns of Interaction (4)
- Pluralism: a state in which people of all races and ethnicities are distinct but have equal social standing.
- Assimilation: the process by which minorities gradually adopt patterns of the dominant culture.
- Segregation: the physical and social separation of categories of people
- Genocide: the systematic killing (erasure) of one category of people by another.
Indigenous people in Canada (4)
- Are distinct and not categorized with other ethnic groups nor with immigrant groups.
- Did not choose to be a part of Canada but were forced into the union
- Discussions of Indigenous rights are problematic given their right to the land
- First among equals
Essentialism
the idea that all members of a group have the same characteristics
Intersectionality
the interaction of multiple social identities (statuses)
white privilege
A society based on white privilege will incline white people toward racism
White people today claim to be “colour blind” as they continue to reap the rewards of a racially stratified social system
