Race, Ethnicity, and Racism

Question 1

sociological definition of race

Answer 1

• a socially constructed classification of people who share physical characteristics that members of a society consider important
• imposed, socially constructed, hierarchical
• but empirically, characteristics we associate with race are a range concept
  
  • e.g., light to dark skin color

Question 2

theory of racial formation– Omi and Winant (1994)

Answer 2

The process by which social, economic, and political forces determine the content and importance of racial categories, and by which they are in turn shaped by racial meanings.

race get created and re-created by governments and large-scale institutions but also by individual human beings in their everyday lives

Question 3

ethnicity

Answer 3

• A type of social identity related to cultural values and norms that distinguish the members of a given group from others. An ethnic group is one whose members share a distinct awareness of a common cultural identity, separating them from other groups.
• cultural practice, dress, language, customs, food, etc. that set people apart
• voluntary, self-defined, nonhierarchical, cultural, and not so closely linked with power differences

Question 4

minority vs. dominant group

Answer 4

Minority group– A group of people who, because of their distinct physical or cultural characteristics, find themselves in a disadvantaged position within that society.

Dominant group–The group that possesses the most wealth, power, and prestige in a society.

Question 5

census bureau’s “official” classification of race

Answer 5

United States
White/ Hispanic or Latino/ Black, African American/ Asian/ two or more races/ American Indian or Alaska native/ Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

Question 6

Multiracial identity

Answer 6

increasing trend
these individuals continue to negotiate their identities with observers who cling to the view that “race” is a monolithic construct.

Question 7

prejudice

Answer 7

• holding preconceived ideas about an individual or group (either positive or negative)
• these ideas are resistant to change even in the face of new info
• often, they are simplifications, or stereotypes

Question 8

discrimination

Answer 8

• behavior or practices that deny to members of a particular group resources or rewards that others can obtain
• we generally feel it is difficult to eradicate prejudice; but we can do somewhat more to eradicate discrimination
• also, it is likely that discrimination increases in the absence of social interaction between groups

Question 9

racism

Answer 9

The attribution of characteristics of superiority or inferiority to a population sharing certain physically inherited characteristics.

Question 10

stereotype

Answer 10

A fixed and inflexible category.

prejudice mainly operate through it

Question 11

displacement

Answer 11

A psychosocial mechanism
The transferring of ideas or emotions from their true source to another object.
e.g., feelings of hostility or anger are directed against objects that are not the real origin of those anxieties

Question 12

scapegoats

Answer 12

Individuals or groups blamed for wrongs that are not of their doing.

Question 13

psychological vs. sociological interpretations of racism

Answer 13

Psychosocial:

• displacement, scapegoating
• minority group

sociological:

• ethnocentrism:a suspicion of outsiders combined with a tendency to evaluate the cultures of others in terms of one’s own culture
• group closure: Group-closure strategies include limits or prohibitions on intermarriage between groups, restrictions on social contact or economic relationships like trading, and the physical separation of groups from one another
• resource allocation: inequalities in the distribution of wealth, power, or social standing

Question 14

immigration

Answer 14

The movement of people into one country from another for the purpose of settlement.

Question 15

emigration

Answer 15

the movement of people out of one country to settle in another

Question 16

scientific racism

Answer 16

The use of scientific research or data to justify or reify beliefs about the superiority or inferiority of particular racial groups. Much of the “data” used to justify such claims are flawed or biased.

Question 17

genocide

Answer 17

The systematic, planned destruction of a racial, ethnic, religious, political, or cultural group.
e.g., Jews in German camp during WWII

Question 18

segregation

Answer 18

The practice of keeping racial and ethnic groups physically separate.

Question 19

assimilation

Answer 19

The acceptance of a minority group by a majority population, in which the new group takes on the values and norms of the dominant culture.

e.g., new immigrant groups would assume the attitudes and language of the dominant White community

Question 20

melting pot

Answer 20

The idea that ethnic differences can be combined to create new patterns of behavior drawing on diverse cultural sources.

Question 21

multiculturalism

Answer 21

The viewpoint according to which ethnic groups can exist separately and share equally in economic and political life.

Question 22

institutional racism and contemporary examples

Answer 22

patterns of discrimination based on race/ethnicity that have become structured into existing social institutions even if actual policies are race-neutral
e.g., organizational rules that discriminate (stop and frisk)
e.g., organizations failing to provide services to its diverse clientele (e.g., mortgages)
E.g., stereotyped depictions of different persons/groups in
the media according to their place in the racial hierarchy

• school quality: public school budgets
• home loans (redlining)

Question 23

redlining

Answer 23

limit where banks will make loans

avoid ‘neighborhoods’ with high loan default rates, foreclosures, etc.

Question 24

models of migration

Answer 24

1. Classic model
   - selective, mostly voluntary, oriented towards citizenship
2. Colonial model of migration
   - encourages migration from former colonies, often result in ‘second-class citizenship’
3. Guest workers’ model
   - temporary immigration to fulfill labor market demands, not offering citizenship
4. Undocumented model
   - entering secretly or under a non-immigration pretense
5. refugee model
   - non-voluntary

type 3,4,5 seem likely to promote ongoing framing of conflict in ethnic/racial terms
but all types might prompt people to hold onto ethnic identities in the face of assimilation pressures

Question 25

interpersonal racism

Answer 25

perception and treatment of a racial or ethnic group as intellectually, socially, or culturally inferior

Question 26

white privilege (McIntosh)

Answer 26

unacknowledged and unearned assets that benefit white people in everyday life

Question 27

subtypes of personal racism (symbolic, overt, racial microaggressions)

Answer 27

Overt– has declined throughout the 20th and 21st century, although a recent uptick e.g., campus hate crimes
symbolic– opposition to programs and practices that would increase well-being of minority groups
micro-aggressions– daily slights, indignities, or acts of disrespect that are hurtful to people of color even though they are often perpetuated by well-meaning white people

Question 28

historical roots of ethnic diversity in the U.S.

Answer 28

These early population flows

Question 29

changing ethnic and racial composition of the U.S.

Answer 29

more multiracial group

Question 30

socioeconomic disparities across racial and ethnic groups in the U.S.

Answer 30

home ownership–key to intergenerational wealth
- non-hispanic white own about 70-80%
unemployment rate
education

Question 31

explanations for race disparities in health

Answer 31

both overt discrimination and micro-aggressions “get under the skin” to affect health

Dimensions of life chances:

education: ;powerful predictor of health and health behaviors
employment: provides access to healthy work conditions and health insurance– a critical of seeking timely health care
neighborhood: affect access to
- environment safety/hazards
- safe walking paths/unsafe walking and exercising conditions
- healthy food/food desserts (and abundance of liquor and fast-food)

Question 32

race difference in political power and voice

Answer 32

• white Americans make up larger share of Congress than of U.S. population
• there is growing racial and ethnic diversity in Congress
• -> why diverse so slow?
  
  • cost of campaigning
  • paths of entry to politics: historically, law or business
  • gerrymandering: drawing the boundaries of political districts to favor one group
  • historically lower turnout by Black voters- old and new forms of voter suppression (e.g,. fewer polling places in lower-income areas)

Question 33

disenfranchisement

Answer 33

obstacles to voting
- rules vary by state, but U.S. is the only country that permits permanent
disenfranchisement of felons even after completion of their sentences
- 1 in 16 Black Americans cannot vote due to disenfranchisement

Question 34

racialization

Answer 34

The process by which understandings of race are used to classify individuals or groups of people.

the process of manufacturing and utilizing the notion of race in any capacity

Question 35

IQ-based explanations for racial inequality and critiques of this view

Answer 35

race inequalities arise due to differences in intelligence
essentialist (here, genetic) argument

BUT environmental factors affect IQ:
- upper class child hears far more words a day –> better vocabulary –> higher IQ scores
- IQ in the US has risen 15-20 points in half century–>impossible for
gene pool to change this quickly. These changes correspond to
improvements in nutrition, healthcare, and childcare.

Question 36

cultural and economic explanations for racial stratification

Answer 36

“wrong” culture vs. “Model minorities” (next cards)

economic: Race vs. Class
-• Williams Julius Wilson: old racial barriers are less important
than class in explaining the persistence of race/ethnic
inequality
–>racism and overt discrimination is no longer responsible.
Rather, earlier racism has created class differences based on
race.
- Economic gap between affluent and poor African Americans
has grown over time.
-Critique: Wilson’s perspective does not give enough attention
to ongoing discrimination and racist beliefs (e.g., economically
successful African Americans continue to face barriers).

Question 37

model minorities

Answer 37

-Argument that culture and values explain why some racial ethnic groups (Asian, Jews, Cubans) are less disadvantaged than others (African-Americans).
-Some groups just have the “wrong” culture, such as belief
in fatalism. Others are “model minorities” and prioritize
success
-Values: Thrift, family hard work, education
-• But: likely that class background upon arrival in the U.S. is
more important than culture and values

Question 38

colonization and its implications for discrimination

Answer 38

Most disadvantaged minority groups arrived in U.S. as colonized people, rather than willing immigrants.
-African Americans as slaves
-Puerto Ricans colonized by war
-Mexicans as a result of conquest
This brings with it racism and discrimination, such as residential segregation (redlining, ghettoization)

Question 39

the future of race in the U.S.

Answer 39

Resegregation
•Multiracial Identities
•White statistical minority population
by 2050

Question 40

thesis of Anderson’s “Cosmopolitan canopy”

Answer 40

he argued that there are many places where people of different backgrounds actually get along. For Anderson, the racially and ethnically diverse spaces he has studied offer “a respite from the lingering tensions of urban life as well as an opportunity for diverse peoples to come together.” They are what he called “pluralistic spaces where people engage with one another in a spirit of civility, or even comity and goodwill.”