Chapter 11: Race and Racialization

Question 1

What is race?

Answer 1

A label used to describe or classify groups of people based on observable traits, such as skin color, eye shape, or ancestry.

Question 2

What is ethnicity?

Answer 2

A shared cultural identity among people with common traditions, language, religion, or national origin.

Question 3

How many ethnic origins were reported in Canada’s 2021 Census?

Answer 3

450 ethnic origins.

Question 4

What percentage of Canadians reported belonging to a racialized group in 2021?

Answer 4

25%.

Question 5

Why is race considered a social construct?

Answer 5

Race is a social construct because it is not based on any fixed biological reality. Racial categories change over time and place, demonstrating their social, rather than scientific, basis.

Question 6

What is the Indian Act, and why is it significant?

Answer 6

A piece of Canadian legislation based on race, criticized for marginalizing Indigenous identity and dismembering their nations.

Question 7

What is racism?

Answer 7

Prejudice and discrimination combined with power, used to dominate and exploit racialized groups.

Question 8

What is systemic racism?

Answer 8

Prejudice and discrimination supported by institutional structures, integrated into societal systems.

Question 9

What is racialization?

Answer 9

Racialization is the process of assigning racial identities and meanings to individuals or groups. It involves stereotyping and attributing specific characteristics based on perceived race, often leading to negative social outcomes.

Question 10

Provide an example of systemic racism in employment.

Answer 10

Applicants with racialized names, like “Samir,” were found to be 40% less likely to get interviews compared to those with European names in a Canadian study.

Question 11

How has racial discrimination manifested in schools?

Answer 11

A six-year-old Black girl was handcuffed in a Mississauga school, an incident later addressed by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.

Question 12

Give an example of racial discrimination in healthcare.

Answer 12

An Indigenous woman was sterilized without consent when seeking medical care for pregnancy issues.

Question 13

What was an example of racial discrimination in media?

Answer 13

An ABC news anchor referred to Indigenous people as “creatures.”

Question 14

What are the four dysfunctions of racism according to functionalism?

Answer 14

1. Societal resources are not maximized.
2. Racism aggravates social problems like poverty and crime.
3. Time and money are wasted on creating barriers to inclusion.
4. Prejudice negatively impacts international relations.

Question 15

What is intersectionality in the context of feminism?

Answer 15

The integrated analysis of overlapping systems of oppression, such as race, gender, class, and sexuality, to understand diverse women’s experiences.

Question 16

Define prejudice and give an example of how it can manifest in everyday life.

Answer 16

Prejudice is a negative attitude, discrimination is the action that follows from prejudice, and racism is a system of power that perpetuates prejudice and discrimination.

Question 17

How can understanding the sociological concepts of race and racialization contribute to challenging racism and inequality?

Answer 17

Understanding sociological concepts of race and racialization helps us to critically examine how race operates as a social force, identify the roots of inequality, and challenge racist systems and structures.