Race and Ethnicity Flashcards
What factors can affect the meaning behind ‘race’? /2
Population (large vs. small)
Ethnic tolerance
What can race and ethnicity determine in someone’s daily life? /5
Education
Life expectancy
Income
Imprisonment
Social depiction and treatment (prejudice/discrimination)
What kind of status is race and ethnicity?
ascribed status
What is race stratification? /1(5)
different racial groups with very different experiences (layers) in:
- income
- employment
- level of education
- likelihood of imprisonment
What are the different strategies used by minority groups to oppose/deal with the dominant group? /2
assimilate with the dominant group to varying degrees
remain separated
What is the scientific conclusion of racial differences? /2
That it does not exist
different groups have come to into contact and interbred
What is conventional racial grouping?
variation IN racial groups, not between them
What is race? /3
purely a social construct
socially defined classification of people based on certain physical characteristics
most prominently skin colour
ex. black, caucasian, etc.)
What other features can also be used to classify people according to race? /2
hair colour and texture
facial features
What is ethnicity? /3
grouping people who share a common cultural, linguistic, or ancestral heritage
social construct
many more categories–according to country
ex. Canadian, Haitian, etc.
How did the Confederation of Canada in 1867, prove that race and ethnicity are social constructs? /2
increased choices for race, ethnicity and ancestry
race is replaced by ethnic origin
What is a visible minority? /3(12)
who is non-Caucasian in race
non-white in colour
consists mainly of:
- Chinese
- South Asian
- Black
- Arab
- West Asian
- Filipino
- Southeast Asian
- Latin American
- Japanese
- Korean
What is an Aboriginal? /2
First Nation, Inuit or Metis
coined in the 1800s by Canadian colonial government
What is racism? /4
prejudice and discrimination against some racial groups
caused by the ascribed status and advantage held by the dominant culture
exists on an individual and societal level
visible through racial stratification
What was the racial stratification/systematic racism for the Indigenous peoples? /2
2011 study
unemployment rate of 10.3%
median income of $20 700 (compared to Canadian medium of approx. $30 000)
What is the racial stratification/systematic racism for visible minorities in general? /2
10.6% unemployment rate
median income of $22 950
What does racial stratification/systematic racism for visible minorities propose? /2
can negatively impact non-English/French speakers
persistent exclusion of and discrimination in the labour market
Why is education the most important factor in determining income? /2
no formal education = difficult to get well-paying job and advance in the workplace
people with advanced degrees earn the most money
Among the indigenous population in Canada, how many (%) completed high school?
less than 50% (48.4%)
Why does the Indigenous population suffer the most, finding themselves in prison, according to sociologists? /3
poverty
history of colonialism
lingering effects of the residential school system
What are pluralistic minorities? /4
groups that enter into an area voluntarily
seek to maintain their own culture, but want to integrate with the dominant group as well
hope to keep their cultural ties while participating in the political and economic system of the new society
one of the main factors of immigration in Canada
ex. Sri Lankan community in Montreal
What will pluralistic minorities do to keep their culture while integrating in the dominant group? /3
speak their own languages
practice their own religions
eat traditional foods
What are assimilationist minorities? /2
seek to give up their cultural traditions and integrate themselves into society
groups who most closely resemble the dominant group (racially or ethnically) are able to do this more easily
ex. German immigrants after WWI
What are secessionist minorities? /5
groups that voluntarily decide to separate themselves from the dominant group
do not seek assimilation or cultural unification
view the dominant group with disdain, believing it will corrupt their belief system
maintain a strict distance from the rest of society
great deal of their life is exactly as it was 100 years ago, taught in their own cultural institutions
ex. Mennonites in Ontario
Is Quebec a secessionist minority [province] in Canada? /4
YES
supporters of Quebec sovereignty point to the unique culture
the French-speaking majority in the province
both rationales for Quebec having the status of a distinct society
What is militant minorities? /2
seek to oppose or overthrow the existing system, which they see is unjust
react to their subordination through militancy
ex. Oka Crisis of 1990
How is the Oka crisis a militant minority? /4
began when the town of Oka announced the expansion of a golf course that would cover Mohawk burial grounds
Mohawk protesters vs. the police and the army
78 day stand-off
irresponsible commands and prejudice among the police
