Race & Ethnicity

1. Race & Ethnicity The social context gives meaning to race and ethnicity which has no meaning except as social construction.

2. Race • Defined as people who share similar physical characteristics; the category of people regarded as socially distinct because they share genetically transmitted physical characteristics. • Physical differences due to human adaptations to environments and evolution. • Beliefs about race influence behavior

3. Ethnicity • The cultural traits that socially define an “ethnic group.’ • An ethnic group is a category of people who are regarded as socially distinct due to their shared cultural heritage (language, religion, diet, social practices). Beliefs about ethnicity are culturally learned not genetically determined.

4. Minority/majority groups • A group defined as a “minority group” may not be in the numerical minority. • Being defined as minority group means that cultural practices or physical appearance become defined as unlike those of the majority group and become susceptible to differential and/or unequal treatment by majority group members. • Majority group may try to deny equal access to wealth, power, prestige to minority group thus discriminating against them.

5. Minority group features • Group suffers disadvantages at hands of majority group • Group has socially defined characteristics which set them apart from majority group. • Individual difference of minority group members regarded as less important than supposed differences of minority group. • Group has consciousness of identity • Membership is ascribed not achieved • Practice endogamy

6. Patterns of relations • Assimilation • Pluralism • Legal Protection • Population transfer • Subjugation • Extermination/genocide

7. Theories • Functionalism: no social benefits to social inequality. Racial conflict is dysfunctional to societies. • Conflict: need three conditions for racial antagonism—identifiable groups, competition over resources, unequal power. Competition leads to beliefs about inferiority/superiority of groups. Moves towards greater equality conteracts this.

8. Racism • The belief that one racial or ethnic group is inferior to another. Groups which discriminates roots ideology in biology or morality. Material conditions—competition over resources, labor scarcity—creates groups which attempt to dominate other groups and then develop ideologies to justify domination. • Colonialism—15th to 20th centuries developed systems of slavery, oppression which served to justify colonialism through racist ideologies • False consciousness where racist ideologies become internalized

9. Prejudice • Attitudes/beliefs that are irrational, inflexible about a group of people. • Generalizations about groups ignores differences between individuals in groups • Stereotyping, irrationality, scapegoating, Adorno’s authoritarian personality

10. Discrimination • The unequal treatment of people based on the grounds of their group membership. • Refusal to give group members opportunities granted to members of another group • Legal—unequal treatment upheld by laws • Institutionalized—unequal treatment upheld by custo

11. U.S. race/ethnicity • Panethnicity • Differing cultural histories • History of slavery and U.S. Civil War • Race riots • Affirmative action