Race and Ethnicity Flashcards
- refers to a social distinction based on perceived physical appearance or biological characteristics.
- NOT shared history, culture or genetics
Race
- refers to the differences between people rooted in culture, language, religion, traditions, historical heritage and other similar differences.
- Ethnic groups feel culturally and socially united
Ethnicity
- Groups that have limited economic and social power in a society
- Does not necessarily refer to numerical minority
Minority groups
o Canadians who are neither Indigenous nor white
o Has been criticized for making whiteness the default category
o The term is being replaced by BIPOC Black, Indigenous, and people of color
Visible minorities
o The process by which members of a minority group adopt the cultural traits of the dominant culture
o May be voluntary or forced
Japanese-Canadians were forced to assimilate to avoid deportation to Japan Immigrants sometimes change their names to sound more British to avoid discrimination
Assimilation
- Minority ethnic groups maintain cultural practices and identities
- Dominant culture is also retained
- Promotes assimilation
Pluralism
o Refers to a society in which individuals are encouraged to display and celebrate their ethnicity and difference.
o Advocates for distinct ethnicities and cultures
o Respect for all associated religions and customs
Multiculturalism
- The tendency of some to see the ideas of race and ethnicity as permanent, natural human categories.
- Some inherent characteristic makes a person a part of a specific race or ethnic group.
- Sees race and ethnicity as fixed and permanent
Essentialism
The theory of social construction highlights the way that social categories we consider natural and unchanging, such as race and ethnicity, are socially created.
Social constructionism
race and ethnicity are not natural but created within human societies.
o Race is not a real thing — there is no biological basis for it.
o How people categorize each other is often based in historical and social contexts.
o The social construction of race has real consequences for individuals and groups.
o The role of biology in determining race and ethnicity is undermined by the fact that all humanity is 99.9% genetically similar.
o Another reason the naturalness of race is questioned is because the within-group variation is greater than between-group variation.
There are more genetic differences between 2 individuals of the same race.
People labeled “Caucasian” include people from various ethnic backgrounds People who feel ethnically French may be from various “races”
Social constructionists argue that
- Refers to the idea that social constructions have real consequences.
- If people define situations as real, they have real consequences.
- Racism is a real consequence of our socially constructed ideas about race.
The Thomas principle
- Defined as an organized system operating at every level of society held together by a sophisticated ideology based on racial supremacy.
- Leads to both privileges and sanctions.
- Consists of prejudice and discrimination plus power
Racism
o Biases deeply embedded in societal institutions and customs
o May be hard to see
o Create ongoing disadvantages for subordinate groups
Systemic racism
- Discrimination refers to the negative or positive treatment of someone as a result of their belonging in a specific group.
- Unjust actions favour one group over another group Job discrimination, unequal pay, denial of promotion
Discrimination
- White applicants were 3 times more likely to be offered a job than Black applicants (1985)
- Significant discrimination exists based on “ethnic” names (2013)
Discrimination in employment
o Prejudice is a negative or or hostile social attitude toward someone based solely on their membership in a group.
o Based on assumptions about their characteristics
Prejudice
o A broadly believed idea about a particular group
o Reinforce prejudice through the assumption that the traits are connected to race and biologically inherited
o Once we are aware of a stereotype, we are more likely to notice examples that reinforce the stereotype (The Exception Fallacy)
Stereotypes
- The Authoritarian Personality (1950).
- Tendency to admire ‘strong leaders,’ value discipline and obedience, and to feel threatened by ‘difference.’
- Product of excessively-strict socialization
Theodore W. Adorno
- argued that individuals with an authoritarian personality are more likely to develop prejudicial attitudes.
- People with this personality see the world in terms of good and evil and use strict or oppressive behaviour.
- discovered a certain set of personality traits common amongst those who were pro-Fascist:
- belief in standard social values, uncritical attitude to leaders, aggressive attitude to ‘deviants,’ emphasis on strength, seeing world as hostile, and focus on sex lives of others.
Adorno and his colleagues argued
o Those from strict/disciplinarian families forced as youths to appear strong, to avoid debate, to control libidinal impulses.
In consequence, they had too much stored-up aggression, no way to let it out Leads to fear, hatred, and fascist tendencies
o Conversely, those from more free homes were accustomed to debate and being proved wrong: less need to unleash aggression.
Adorno and his colleagues argued that:
In January, 2013 it was reported that a school district in Wisconsin will be reviewing a high school diversity class in which students were exposed to “radical leftist thinkers” promoting a “critical race theory that alleges white people are oppressors.” This action was precipitated by the parent of an 18-year-old student who complained that students were being indoctrinated by a radical left agenda and ideology and taught “if you’re white, you’re oppressing. If you’re non-white, you’ve been a victim”. Does our education system and courses that expose “white privilege” promote guilt and a victim mentality?
White privilege or white guilt?
One of privileges conferred by racism to people with white skin colour.
o Inherent benefits possessed by white people in a racially unequal society.
o These benefits are mostly invisible to the people who possess them.
White Privilege
wrote about her experiences with the advantages that occur in her life because of her white skin.
She referred to these advantages as an “invisible knapsack” or unearned assets cashed in on a daily basis.
discussed these assets in the form of statements on her white privilege.
“I can turn on the TV or open a paper and see people of my race represented.”
“I am never asked to speak for my race.”
Peggy McIntosh
o Occurs when we classify people as “not one of us.”
o Such people are interpreted through stereotypes about their group.
o This contributes to the view that:
White privilege is deserved
Othered groups deserve poor treatment
Othering
