Sociology Exam #1 Flashcards
the supposition that social and economic differences between races are the result of immutable, inherited, and inborn distinctions
Biological determinism
occurs when a foreign power invades a territory and establishes enduring systems of exploitation and domination over that territory’s indigenous populations
Colonialism
ideology that explains contemporary racial inequality as the outcome of nonracial phenomena
Colorblind racism
discrimination that is not easy to recognize, often institutional (unfair housing practices)
Covert racism
actions that have a differential and negative impact on members of a subordinate group (can happen in absence of prejudice)
discrimination
political, social, and economic power wielded over subordinate groups; as well as the symbolic power to classify one group as “normal” and other groups as “abnormal”
domination
a shared lifestyle informed by cultural, historical, religious, and national affiliations
ethnicity
a mistaken belief or misunderstanding based on an unsound argument
fallacy
racism is assumed to belong to the realm of ideas and prejudices (not always intentional)
Individualistic fallacy
assumes that abolishing racist laws (or instituting antiracist laws) effectively eliminates racism (but there’s a difference between de jure and facto)
Legalistic fallacy
assumes that the presence of people of color in influential positions is evidence that racism no longer exists (but, people of color remain disadvantaged)
Tokenistic fallacy
assumes history is inconsequential (but, everything socially constructed is historically constructed)
Ahistorical fallacy
assumes racism is fixed and constant across time and space (but, racism is always morphing and changing)
Fixed fallacy
the systemic domination of people of color, embedded and operating in universities, corporations, legal systems, political bodies, and other social collectivities
Institutional racism
prejudice results from group competition over scarce resources
Intergroup conflict theory
interpersonal contact (under the right conditions) is the most effective way to reduce prejudice between groups
intergroup contact theory
racial domination manifested in our dispositions, interactions, and practices; racism that happens between individuals or between groups through interactions.
Interpersonal racism
the idea that social categorizations such as race, class, gender, and sexuality are interconnected and they create overlapping and interdependent systems of privilege and discrimination
Intersectionality
one of the primary identifying characteristic of an individual within a given society
Master status
brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership
Microaggressions
citizenship or continued residence in a nation
Nationality
subtle, institutional, and ostensibly race-neutral form of racism
New racism
discrimination that is recognizable, intent is clear
Overt racism
observable, physical/visible characteristics
Phenotype
specific type of physiognomy that links head size/shape with mental faculties/fortitude; the idea is that the skull fits the brain like a glove, therefore measuring the head will determine mental skill/capacity
Phrenology
a pseudoscience that links physical features with psychological and intellectual characteristics; a type of biological determinism
Physiognomy
a negative attitude or ideas about a person based on their perceived group membership
Prejudice
a collection of unearned cultural, political, economic, and social advantages possessed by members of a social majority group
Privilege
a symbolic category, based on phenotype or ancestry and constructed according to specific social and historical contexts, that is often misrecognized as a natural category (social)
Race
the process by which race (socio-historical concept) is shaped by broad societal forces (politics, economy); racial meanings have varied tremendously over time and between societies
Racial formation
a reality that is created by humans through social processes and is not rooted in anything objectively “real,” objective, or natural
Social construction
a complex set of social norms and persistent patterns of social organization that meet the needs of some aspects of human society (use “Packers” instead of “sports”)
Social institution
the social group considered to have the most power in a particular place
Social majority
any category of people distinguished from the majority group (by physical or cultural differences) and that is socially subordinated to the majority group
Social minority
theory that prejudice results from societal norms, usually taught at a young age
Socialization theory
an unreliable generalization about all members of a group
Stereotype
privilege possessed by people of Anglo-European descent or by those who pass as such; lack of disadvantage on the basis of race
White privilege
the belief that white people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society; typically to the exclusion or detriment of other racial and ethnic groups
White supremacy
areas of social life that individuals are directly aware
Personal troubles
transcend the local environment of the individual and involve structures/systems and history of society
Public issues
being able to recognize that individual experience and social context are intertwined; allows us to understand the larger impact of society on an individual’s life
Sociological imagination
the argument that racial discrimination is embedded in the laws, regulations, rules, and procedures of American institutions
Critical race theory
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
Racial formation
conscious and intentional discriminatory actions
Microassaults
verbal, nonverbal, and environmental communications that subtly convey rudeness and insensitivity that demean a person’s racial heritage or identity
Microinsults
communications that subtly exclude, negate or nullify the thoughts, feelings, or experimental reality of a person of color
Microinvalidations
there have been positive changes in white people’s attitudes about race since the civil rights era
Racial optimist view
a more balanced view; white people’s racial attitudes reflect both progress and resistance. accepting values like equality but rejecting policies that would enact those values like affirmative action
Racial pessoptimist view
blend of anti-black and traditional American moral values
Symbolic racism view
white prejudice is an ideology that defends white privilege
Sense of group position view
English: anti interracial marriage Spain: pro interracial marriage
English vs Spanish conquests
as colonization expanded, demand for servants increased; European servants began to be seen as distinct from African servants; US constitution legalized slavery “necessary evil”
Origins of American slavery
“separate but equal” doctrine; legal basis for racial segregation and Jim Crow
Plessy v Ferguson
was 3/32 black and wanted birth certificate to say white. rule was 1/32 black could be white
Susie Guillory Phipps
explicitly banned Chinese “sex workers” from entering the U.S. but effectively banned all Chinese women from entering the U.S.
Page Law
prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years
Chinese exclusion act
state and local laws and policies enforcing racial segregation
Jim Crow
prejudice is not always openly expressed; sued for housing discrimination; charged with using race as a factor in accepting applications for apartments; little media coverage; recording of him was leaked making racial statements; was forced by NBA to sell the Clippers
Donald Sterling
