Race, Ethnicity, and Racism Flashcards
sociological definition of race
- 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
theory of racial formation– Omi and Winant (1994)
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
ethnicity
- 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
minority vs. dominant group
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.
census bureau’s “official” classification of race
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
Multiracial identity
increasing trend
these individuals continue to negotiate their identities with observers who cling to the view that “race” is a monolithic construct.
prejudice
- 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
discrimination
- 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
racism
The attribution of characteristics of superiority or inferiority to a population sharing certain physically inherited characteristics.
stereotype
A fixed and inflexible category.
prejudice mainly operate through it
displacement
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
scapegoats
Individuals or groups blamed for wrongs that are not of their doing.
psychological vs. sociological interpretations of racism
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
immigration
The movement of people into one country from another for the purpose of settlement.
emigration
the movement of people out of one country to settle in another
scientific racism
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.
genocide
The systematic, planned destruction of a racial, ethnic, religious, political, or cultural group.
e.g., Jews in German camp during WWII
segregation
The practice of keeping racial and ethnic groups physically separate.
assimilation
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
melting pot
The idea that ethnic differences can be combined to create new patterns of behavior drawing on diverse cultural sources.
multiculturalism
The viewpoint according to which ethnic groups can exist separately and share equally in economic and political life.
institutional racism and contemporary examples
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)
redlining
limit where banks will make loans
avoid ‘neighborhoods’ with high loan default rates, foreclosures, etc.
models of migration
- Classic model
- selective, mostly voluntary, oriented towards citizenship - Colonial model of migration
- encourages migration from former colonies, often result in ‘second-class citizenship’ - Guest workers’ model
- temporary immigration to fulfill labor market demands, not offering citizenship - Undocumented model
- entering secretly or under a non-immigration pretense - 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
