racism & ethnicity

Question 1

ascribed status

Answer 1

given automatically, usually at birth or at special event in life; race, gender, ethnicity

Question 2

achieved status

Answer 2

acquired through individual actions in life

Question 3

Race

Answer 3

socially defined category based on perceived biological differences between groups of people, can physically see someone’s race, ALWAYS on display

Question 4

Ethnicity

Answer 4

socially defined category based on common language, religion, nationality, history, or cultural factors; may not always be on display

Question 5

Social constructions of race and ethnicity

Answer 5

NOT rooted in biological differences, change over time, never have firm boundaries

Question 6

Criticisms of concept of race

Answer 6

genetic traits are continuous so it’s difficult to define where one groups begins and ends; within a group, individual variations are greater than differences between groups

Question 7

Ethnic markers

Answer 7

ethnic groups formed around cultural features: common beliefs, values, customs, history; markers can be displayed or hidden, depending on individual preferences

Question 8

Symbolic ethnicity

Answer 8

identity that is only relevant on specific occasions, does not significantly impact everyday life; ex. you are Irish but only display that on St. Patrick’s Day

Question 9

Situational ethnicity

Answer 9

ethnic identity that can be either displayed or hidden depending on if it’s useful in a given situation

Question 10

Minority/subordinate group

Answer 10

made up of members that are systematically denied access to power and resources available to dominant groups; not necessarily fewer in number; unequal treatment generates common identity/solidarity, which increases awareness of subordinate status; ascribed status; traits that dominant group holds in low regard

Question 11

Marital endogamy

Answer 11

marrying within the same group; rejecting those outside the group as unsuitable for marriage

Question 12

racism

Answer 12

set of beliefs about superiority; often used to justify inequality, based on assumptions; influences one’s access to rights and resources in society

Question 13

prejudice

Answer 13

a thought process, an idea about the characteristics of a group

Question 14

discimination

Answer 14

motivated by prejudice and results in unequal treatment

Question 15

individual discrimination

Answer 15

carried out by one person against another

Question 16

institutional discrimination

Answer 16

carried out systematically by social institutions; political, economic, educational, etc. ; effect all members of a group who come into contact with it

Question 17

invisible privilege

Answer 17

racism and discrimination disadvantage some, while benefitting others

Question 18

invisible knapsack

Answer 18

unearned resources, not in broad view; metaphor for privilege-advantages of some social groups over others

Question 19

Ethnic interference with elite’s power

Answer 19

may result in brutal discrimination against the threatening ethnic groups; lead to forced assimilation, ethnocide, ethnic expulsion, cultural colonialism

Question 20

Stereotypes

Answer 20

reinforce prejudices and causes them to persist; receive ongoing support from media, justify oppression of certain groups

Question 21

Scapegoat theory

Answer 21

members of dominant group let out their inner frustrations in the form of aggression against minority groups who serve as the scapegoats; people use the group they dislike due to prejudice to release anger; ex. German treatment of Jews during Holocaust

Question 22

Functionalists

Answer 22

race/ethnicity creates social ties and strengthens group bonds; racial and ethnic differences are necessary part of society that helps maintain social order; creates social cohesion within groups

Question 23

conflict theorists

Answer 23

struggle for power and control over scarce resources; intergroup conflicts between majority and minority groups

Question 24

social interactionists

Answer 24

race, class, gender intersections produce individuals’ identities; race seen as an aspect of identity established through interactions

Question 25

“Driving while black”

Answer 25

70% of drivers stopped and searched were black even though only 17.5% of all drivers were black

Question 26

Housing segregation

Answer 26

whites and blacks mostly segregated in major cities; often generated by white flight to suburbs

Question 27

Racial discrimination examples

Answer 27

blacks face more difficulty in acquiring loans; whites are advantageous in the job market, white criminals called back more than black non-criminals; black criminals highly stigmatized, very difficult to get jobs; predominately black schools have lower funding; blacks more often arrested and convicted