Chapter 3 Flashcards
One-drop Rule
anyone with even one drop of African ancestry was considered black, regardless of physical appearance or cultural practices
- a concept used during slavery and segregation
Whiteness Research
a broad field of study that seeks to understand the privileges and advantages that white individuals and groups have in society
Peggy Mcintosh’s Paper
“white privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack” outlines the advantages that accrue to white individuals
George Lipsitz’s Paper
“The possessive investment in whiteness” examines how white Americans can have benefited both financially and socially from the oppression of people of colour throughout history
Race and Canadian History
in 1763, English troops took control of most of North America
- in the 19th century, immigrants came mainly from Britain, Ireland, and Scotland to eastern Canada
- as the settlers moved westward, investors promoted the exploitation of ‘staple products’ for which there was a market in Europe
Race
a group of people who are thought to share physical characteristics and a shared identity
- humans invent racial categories and assign people to them, creating a social hierarchy
Critical Race Theory
asserts that racism is a longstanding, pervasive, and permanent part of our social structure
- peoples ideas about race serve to justify societal conditions and benefit the dominant, white population
6 Basic Principles of CRT
- Race is socially constructed
- Endemic Racism
- Differential Racialization
- Interest Convergence
- Voices of Colour
- Importance of Intersectionality
Endemic Racism
racism is deeply rooted in western societies, permeating all social structures and practices
- its effects on those subjected to racism is often invisible
Differential Racialization
people in power wield dominant ideologies to racialize different groups of people at different times, to fulfill their own historic, social, or economic need
Interest Convergence
racialization benefits the dominant social and racial group
Voices of Colour
the dominant racial groups account of history routinely excludes racialize perspectives to justify, legitimize, and preserve its dominant power, hiding racial oppression
Postcolonial Feminist Theory
examines how gender and colonialism intersect and shape social, cultural, and political structures and relations
- challenge the Eurocentric and patriarchal views
Chandra Talapade Mohanty: “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses”
a criticism of the portrayal of third world women as passive victims of male colonizers
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak: “Can the Subaltern Speak?”
an examination of the marginalization and silencing of subaltern subjects, including women, in post colonial discourse
- the subalterns agency and perspectives are often erased or overlooked
Two Principles of PFT
- Mainstream standpoint on any issue promotes agendas that suit the racially dominant group
- Unequal relations between the colonizer and colonized produce a new culture that represents racialize people in a dishonest and unsympathetic way, legitimizing oppression
White Saviour Complex
white colonists and tourists often consider or present themselves as wonderful helpers of black people, indigenous people, and people of colour
3 Principles of Intersectionality Theory
- Various oppressions support one another
- The complex of power privileges a specific group while “othering” people of margins
- People who experience this intersecting marginalization gain firsthand knowledge about the way multiple system oppress people; they are equipped to give a full and accurate account of inequality
Ethnicity
a category of people who share a common culture, history, and identity
Culture
the way of life of a society, values and practices that constantly and dynamically evolve
- culture evolves over time
Culture Mosaic Model
characterized by a mixture of different ethnic groups, languages, and cultures
- adopted by Canada as opposed to cultural assimilation
Supporting Arguments of Multiculturalism
it promotes diversity, inclusion and tolerance within the Canadian society
- reduces discrimination and bigotry
- celebrates the unique contributions of Canadas diverse communities, such as indigenous peoples, immigrants and refugees
Critiques of Multiculturalism
- encourages people to stay within their cultural groups and leads to segregation and social isolation
- can create a lack of common identity and values, which can lead to a breakdown in social cohesion
- can lead to cultural relativism
Cultural Relativism
all cultures are seen as equal, even those that promote discrimination, sexism, or other socially harmful practices
Traditional Multiculturalism
concerned with protecting the rights of individuals
- accomplished through human rights codes
Modern Multiculturalism
concerned with the survival of diverse cultural groups
- individuals are treated as members of an ethic/racial group protected under law
Aileen Ross
popularized the idea of intergroup competition
- “The cultural effects of population changes in the eastern townships”
- discussed the feared invasion of a geographical region by a new social or cultural group
John Porter: Vertical Mosaic
coined this phrase which is a socio-economic stratification pattern within Canadian society
Vertical Mosaic
English and French Canadians are at the top of the ethnic hierarchy, while others are below
- pointed out that immigrants and their descendants remain in the entrance status
- they have a lack of access to higher education and upward mobility
Entrance Status
the occupational status a group enters when it first immigrates to Canada
Institutional Completeness
a measure of the degree to which an immigrant ethnic group gives its own members the services they need through its own local institutions
Andre Gunder Frank
proposed that the chief consequence of colonization was the creation of underdevelopment and economic dependency in colonized countries
Neocolonialism
dominant populations colonize “developing” nations through economic imperialism and western mass media globalization
Economic Imperialism
controlling nations by investing foreign capital into their resources and economy
Structural Functionalism on Race
ethnic identity promotes social connectedness in society and strengthens group identities
Conflict Theory on Race
majority groups benefit from excluding minority groups, especially through economic competition
Symbolic Interactionism on Race
racial socialization shapes the way groups view themselves and reinforces the inferior standing of minority groups
Feminist Theory on Race
racial minorities may follow traditional values that conflict with gender equality
Structural Theory on Race
minorities experience discrepancies in opportunities in the job market
Racial Socialization
leaning the beliefs, values, cultural history, language, and social and economic realities associated with different races
Primordialist Positions
believe that ethnicity is an immutable, tangible quality
Instrumentalist Positions
assert that ethnic groups produce and preserve ethnic history that unite them around ritual events and heroes
- more nuanced constructivist positions hold that ethnographic-politics are both real and imagined
Prejudice
an aversive or hostile attitude toward a person who belongs to a group
Racial Discrimination
any distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment of exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms
Implicit Racism
the combination of unconscious attitudes, stereotypes, and beliefs that people hold about certain groups, without even realizing it
Othering
the process of perceiving and portraying people as different, exotic, or “alien” to the dominant group
- create hierarchical social relations
Institutional (Structural) Racism
any systematic bias set in an existing social structure that deprives some groups of equal rights because of their ethnic or racial membership
Redlining
the practice where banks and insurance companies deny loans to people based on racially tinged criteria
Individual Racism
the classic form of prejudice in which a person makes unfounded assumptions about the motives and abilities of another based on stereotypical understanding of the persons racial or ethnic group membership
Internalized Racism
members of an ethnic or racial group accept and sometimes behave according to imposed stereotypes
Racialization
the tendency in a community to introduce racial distinctions into situations that can be understood and managed without them
Racial Profiling
the tendency to look for and interpret peoples behaviour differently, based on their race
Social Consequences of Race and Ethnicity
- gender relations
- work and unemployment
- poverty and wealth
- crime and violence
Generational Wealth Gap
white people created and inherited wealth because of advantages they enjoyed in the past
Isolation Index
shows the extent to which minority group members meet only one another within their neighbourhoods
Gladue Reports
pre-sentencing and bail hearing reports that inform judges of the backgrounds of indigenous offenders, including instances of trauma
De-professionalization
doing work that fails to reflect their experience and qualifications
6 Sources of Racism Related Stress
- Racism-related life events
- Vicarious Racism Experiences
- Daily Racism Micro-Stressors
- Chronic Contextual Stress
- Collective Experiences
- Trans-Generational Transmission
Vicarious Racism Experiences
specific incidents of prejudice or discrimination experiences by family, friends, or through news media
Health Effects of Racism
- increased blood pressure
- poor mental health
Employment Equity Act
intended to ensure equity in the workplace by ensuring the proportion of racialize groups and women hired in the workplace reflect the proportion of these groups who are applying for work
- applies to federal public service, crown corporations, and agencies, and to private companies employing 100+ employees
Canada’s Multiculturalism Act
requires all federal institutions and employers to follow the country’s stated multicultural policy when making their economic, social, cultural, and political policies
Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms
“every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability”
Criminal Code
provides strict enforcement against racist acts of hate crimes
