ethnicity, stratification and inequality Flashcards
race
a socially constructed classification based on physical characteristics such as skin colour
ethnicity
a shared cultural identity based on common ancestry, language, traditions and customs
racism
a system of discrimination or prejudice based on the belief that some racial or ethnic groups are superior to others
institutional racism
discrimination embedded within laws, policies and practices, leading to systematic disadvantages for certain ethnic groups
intersectionality
the idea that different social categories (such as race, gender, and class) interact to create unique experiences of oppression or privilege
Windrush generation
1948, Caribbean migrants were invited to britain to fill labour shortages, but faced racism in housing, work and daily life when they arrived
2018 - many of these individuals were wrongly classified as illegal immigrants due to changing immigration laws, leading to many being wrongfully detained, denied legal rights and threatened with deportation
British Social Attitudes Survey - racism in the UK key trends
attitudes have become more liberal since 2014
since 2021, trends have reversed and more people are turning against immigrants
people who thought migrants were good for the economy: 2014 - 30%, 2021 - 59%, 2024 - 40%
example of an institution that can be used to reduce prejudice
education
example of an institution that perpetuates prejudice
the media, especially the tabloids
what does the Census demonstrate about the populations of different race’s within the UK
the number of people identifying as white British is decreasing - 86% in 2011, 82% in 2021
define assimilation
explain what this means for migrants
the belief that others should fit into the dominant culture
this suggests the migrants to a country should speak the language, wear the clothes and participate in the activities of the majority population
Functionalist perspective - ‘Dark Strangers’ - Sheila Patterson
based from Sheila Patterson’s (1965) - ‘Dark strangers’
in her book, Britain was depicted as a stable, harmonious society with high value consensus. this equilibrium was disturbed by the arrival of a large influx of immigrant ‘strangers’
the windrush generation caused Patterson to claim that this ‘ boisterous group subscribed to a different value system, creating a ‘culture class’
Functionalist perspective - the host-immigrant model or Assimilation theory
focuses on the fears and anxiety of the British and their uncertainty of how to deal with new arrivals
this confusion sometimes created suspicion and resentment as migrants competed for housing and jobs
Patterson described this as ‘cultural strangeness’ but was optimistic that british black migrants would eventually move towards full assimilation
most sociologists have rejected this model in favour of a more ‘cultural pluralist model’`
functionalist perspective - causes of discrimination
immigrants have different norms and values, which disrupts value consensus
competition for housing and jobs
fear by the british of how to deal with new arrivals
New Right - Roger Scruton (1986)
rejected the idea of multi cultural education favouring an entirely ‘ British ‘ model
Weberian explanation
added the variables of party and status to classification - suggesting there are extra dimensions to inequality
e.g. a working class person in an ethnic minority has the added disadvantage of a lower status
Weberian explanation - Barron and Norris - Dual Market theory
primary sector - characterised by full time well paid secure jobs. sector is dominated by white men
secondary sector - lower paid, insecure, temporary, semi and unskilled jobs dominated by women and ethnic minorities
Weberian - Rex and Tomlinson - ethnicity and the underclass
studied commonwealth immigrants in handsworth (1970s) - who had come to britain to work due to opportunities in the labour market
argues e.m’s become trapped in the secondary labour market due to their lack of social and political power
white working class people are more likely to be in skilled & white collared work
class, status and party of em people tends to be low, which contributes to their low market position and place in the underclass
individuals unable to escape this underclass due to the way employment policies, laws and labour markets have developed
Weberian - Heath and Li (2014) - ethnic minorities and social mobility
43% of white wen and 46% of white women move to a higher social class than their father - only 28% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women and 4.3% of men in this group
white people had higher upward social mobility rates
marxist explanation
ethnic minorities are part of the exploited working class
marxist - Castles and Kosack (1973) - explanation
e.m.’s situation is exacerbated by racism and discrimination
this position is encouraged by the capitalist class for 3 reasons
1 - legitimisation - racism helps to justify low pay and poor working conditions for most ethnic minorities. they are seen by the working class as not deserving the same as them. the upper class benefit by making more profits from the low paid
2 - divide and rule - it is important to maintain divisions between different ethnic groups because if they recognise their shared exploitation, they might unite and be a threat to the ruling class
3 - scapegoating - useful to the upper class as capitalist fustration is aimed at ethnic minorities when society is in economic trouble - the media encourages people to direct their anger at immigrants in times of recession
Marxist - Miles (1989)
argues that a key factor in understanding the position of ethnic minorities is racism, and racism has three aspects:
1 - prejudice - a way of thinking that relies heavily on stereotypes, and this is used to justify hostility
2 - racial discrimination - prejudice in action
3 - institutional racism - where racism is a basic feature of the rules and routines of British Social Institutions
Critical Race Theory
sees racism as an ingrained feature in society
involves the intentional actions of individuals and institutional racism
the scale of historical discrimination is so large that there no longer needs to be any conscious intent to discriminate
race and racism are the product of social thought and power relations
CRT theorists endeavor to expose the way that racial inequality is maintained through the operation of structures and assumptions that appear normal
CRT helps to understand the processes that shape and sustain race inequality in society
Critical Race Theory - Gillborn
ethnic inequality is a deep rooted feature of the education system
found that teachers were more likely to underestimate black Caribbean children’s achievement, and they are more likely to be placed in lower sets, and less likely to be labelled as gifted and talented than white pupils
