Race, Ethnicity & Inequality Flashcards
What is the general concept of race?
A concept that tends to focus on physical differences e.g. skin colour, hair.
It draws divisions between human groups.
What is Van den Berghe’s (1967) definition of race?
Race is socially defined but on the basis of physical criteria.
What is Van den Berghe’s (1967) definition of ethnicity?
Ethnicity is socially defined but on the basis of cultural criteria.
What is the general concept of ethnicity?
An embodied material identity shared by a group and generated by shared lived experience.
What are the problems with the definition of race?
The term ‘race’ relates to disproven categories based on biological differences e.g. skin colour, hair texture or shape of eyes supposedly separating populations.
Evidence suggests the overall genetic characteristics of one white person and one black person may be more similar than those of two white people - hence race is not considered to be a meaningful concept.
Why is the concept of race dangerous?
Race is a dangerous concept which can lead to the persecution of one race by another.
Racism is real even if ‘race’ is a construct.
What does Bell (1987) say about critical race theory and racism?
Critical race theory views racism as endemic, institutional and an ingrained feature of society - it is a central way of organising society.
What does Walvin say about race-making serving a purpose?
The British don’t become slave traders because they are racists - they become racist because they use slaves for great profit in America.
Devise a set of attitudes about black peoples that justifies what they have done.
The real engine behind the space system is economics.
Why is capitalism dependent on racism?
Capitalism is dependent on racism as a source of profiteering and also a means to divide and rule.
Racism is necessary to drive a wedge between workers who otherwise have everything in common and every reason to ally and organise together - but are driven apart to the benefit of the ruling class.
What do Marxists say about race?
For Marxists race is not a primary category for analysis. Race can be seen as a mask which serves to obscure true relations of power in a society which are, in fact, class based.
What does Lu-in Wang (2006) say about white privilege?
Whiteness has become the default race in our society.
People are presumed to be white unless otherwise stated.
The standard judge, teacher, student or customer, the standard person is imagined to be white.
How is the up-surge in hate crimes related to the brexit vote?
Racist attacks directed against Muslims, including young children, suggest the Brexit vote has “legitimised the prejudice of some people” as the number of hate crimes reported to police soar by 57%. - The Guardian (2018)
What is individual racism?
Individual acts that overtly reflect racist attitudes/beliefs e.g. racial slurs, jokes.
What is systematic/institutional racism?
Organisational policies and practices at the structural level that indirectly targets communities of colour and maintain white privilege.
E.g. racism in the criminal justice system (police profiling) and education system (all white lecturers)
According to Health and McMahon (1997) what is an ethnic penalty?
All the sources of disadvantage that might lead an ethnic group to fare less well in the labour market than similarly qualified whites.