Ethnicity: Functionalists Flashcards
1
Q
Functionalist view on ethnicity inequalities:
A
- Early ethnic inequalities that immigrants’ experiences were due to cultural difference and low level of skills.
- Functionalists believe that a. meritocratic society would allow for ethnic inequalities to decrease as they adapted to the Uk’s norms and values and progressed through their jobs.
2
Q
Patterson: Host-immigration model
A
- Presents Britain as stable and orderly
- In the 50’s Britain’s equilibrium was disrupted due to the arrival of immigrants
- Immigration resulted in their being a culture clash as the host’s were unsure of how to act (claims that this wasn’t racism)
3
Q
Three causes of ethnic inequality (Host-immigration)
A
- Most cultures fear cultural differences and the social change that immigration brings
- Host countries don’t want to compete with immigrants for housing and jobs
- The failure of immigrants to assimilate into British society meaning that there becomes a divide between British citizens and immigrants
4
Q
Patterson: The host-immigrant model:
A
Model proposes that immigrants go through 3 stages before assimilating into society:
1. Accommodation = involved minimal adaptation and acceptance of mainstream cultures. E.g, Getting a job
2. Integration = occurs when hosts and immigrants socialise with each other outside of the workplace
3. Assimilation = The complete integration of immigrants into mainstream society and complete acceptance
5
Q
What could the assimilation of immigrants lead to:
A
- Physical assimilation - interbreeding across races
- Leading to disappearance of distinctive features of the immigrant model
6
Q
Evaluation of the functionalist view:
A
- It is naïve to think that all ethnic minorities will/ want to integrate into British culture
- Post-modernists say that Britian is a multi-cultural society, and this should be embraces and celebrated
- Marists say that Paterson doesn’t acknowledge capitalism and that dividing race maintains capitalism which means assimilation is impossible
