Racism Flashcards
What does it mean to say that religion and race are social constructs?
They are ideas shaped by societies rather than biological facts. Societies define and redefine these categories based on power dynamics and historical contexts.
How was religious difference used during European colonization?
It justified racial hierarchies. For example, Indigenous spiritual practices were labeled “inferior” or “savage” to legitimize colonial violence.
What is “limpieza de sangre,” and how did it relate to the Spanish Inquisition?
“Limpieza de sangre” (“purity of blood”) enforced suspicion of converts from Judaism and Islam, suggesting their ancestry remained impure.
What is the racialization of religion?
The association of specific religious groups with racial or ethnic identities, such as treating Jews as a racial group or grouping Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims together as “brown.”
How did religion play a role in the Civil Rights Movement?
Places of worship provided spaces for political organizing and spiritual resilience, becoming central to the movement.
What is “New Racism”?
It suggests that racism today is masked behind socially accepted ideologies and language, often referred to as “color-blind racism.”
Name some organized white supremacist hate groups in Canada and the US.
Stormfront, Aryan Nations, Blood and Honour, Proud Boys, White Aryan Resistance, KKK, and Church of the Creator.
What is the legal definition of hate crimes in Canada?
Acts committed to intimidate, harm, or terrify an entire group of people based on their race, religion, color, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.
What are victimization-type surveys?
Surveys that assess individuals’ sense of being victims of racism or beliefs that certain groups are targets of discrimination.
What are social distance surveys used for?
To measure levels of comfort and discomfort people feel toward members of different groups, serving as a proxy for racial prejudice.
What did Bailey’s 2016 study of Indigenous students reveal?
Indigenous students experience microaggressions such as social isolation, cultural misrepresentation, and lack of opportunities to engage with Indigenous knowledge.
Why are victimization surveys criticized?
Institutional authorities may dismiss them, believing visible minorities are too eager to identify racism as a problem.
What is “color-blind racism”?
A form of racism where negative views about racialized groups are expressed without explicitly mentioning “race” or skin color.
How does racism manifest on the internet?
Through the activities of racist organizations, hate speech, and challenges in distinguishing freedom of expression from hate crimes.
What are the limitations of victimization surveys in measuring racism?
Individuals may not recognize or define their experiences as discrimination, and results are often dismissed as biased or subjective.
What is Peter Li’s criticism of survey research on racism and anti-immigration attitudes?
He argues that such surveys may unintentionally legitimize racist ways of thinking by framing questions in problematic ways.
What is the significance of microaggressions in Canadian universities?
They highlight systemic issues, such as social isolation, cultural misrepresentation, and unwelcoming environments for marginalized students.
What is institutional racism?
Policies, practices, or procedures embedded within social and political institutions that disproportionately disadvantage certain racial or ethnic groups, operating systematically and often unconsciously.
What are examples of racism in sports?
Unequal training opportunities, wage disparities, underrepresentation in leadership, abuse, biased media coverage, and team names with racist symbolism.
What is the Rooney Rule, and how has it changed?
A rule requiring teams to interview minority candidates for head coach positions. Changes include mandatory minority offensive assistant coaches and compensatory draft picks for developing minority talent.
What is racial profiling, and what are its two forms?
Institutional racism in policing, taking the forms of under-policing (not taking crimes against minorities seriously) and over-policing (disproportionate surveillance and charges against minorities).
How does colorism impact sports?
Research shows stereotypes based on skin tone influence player roles and opportunities, as seen in Steven L. Foy and Rashawn Ray’s study on men’s college basketball.
What is under-policing in the context of racial profiling?
When police do not take crimes as seriously or conduct thorough investigations when minorities are the victims of crime.
What is over-policing in the context of racial profiling?
When minority communities are disproportionately surveilled, pulled over, or charged as perpetrators of crime.
