Race and Ethnicity as Lived Experience Chapter 8

Race and Ethnicity as Lived Experience Chapter 8

Race: Myth and Reality • Myth 1 - Idea That Any Race is Superior – All Races Have Geniuses and Idiots – Genocide Still Around • Myth 2 - Idea that Any Race is Pure – Human Characteristics Flow Endlessly Together

Race and Ethnicity • Race - a category of people with inherited physical features that distinguish it from another category. – Socially defined category based on real or perceived biological differences between groups of people – Both a myth and a reality • Ethnicity and ethnic – refer to cultural characteristics that distinguish people. – A socially defined category based on common language, religion, nationality, history, or another cultural factor

Defining Race and Ethnicity (cont’d. ) • Sociologists see race and ethnicity as social constructions because – Race isn’t based on biology (for instance, we don’t test DNA to determine race). – Racial categories change over time. – Racial categories never have firm boundaries. • The distinction between race and ethnicity is important because ethnicity can be displayed or hidden, depending on individual preferences, while racial identities are always on display.

Definition of a Minority • A minority refers to a relatively small number of people. • Refined the definition to specify: – a social group that is systematically denied access to power and resources available to the dominant groups of a society. – a group of people who are physically or culturally singled out from others for unequal treatment & – who regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination. • Not necessarily a numerical minority or fewer in number than the dominant group

Racial and Ethnic Populations in the United States, 2013

U. S. Population by Race in 2060

Minority and Dominant Groups • Dominant Group - Group with Most… – Power – Privileges – Highest Social Status • Dominant Group Does the Discriminating • Minority Groups Occur Because of… – Expansion of Political Boundaries – Migration

Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Relations • When different racial and ethnic groups interact there are two major types of outcomes: – pattern of assimilation- groups become cultural and socially fused • assimilation, multiculturalism – pattern of conflict • genocide, population transfer, internal colonialism, segregation

Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Relations

Racism • Racism connects biological differences with judgment of innate superiority or inferiority. – a set of beliefs about the claimed superiority of one racial or ethnic group – Used to justify inequality – Often rooted in the assumption that differences between groups are genetic • Color-blind racism: an ideology that removes race as an explanation for any form of unequal treatment

Theories of Prejudice and Discrimination • Prejudice – is prejudging in some way, usually negative; an overgeneralization based on biased or insufficient information; applied to all members of group; unlikely to change regardless of evidence; attitude/belief. – Internalizing Dominant Norms • Lighter/Darker Skin • Ethnic Maps • Discrimination – unequal treatment of people based on their minority membership or social group. – Discrimination is action – Usually motivated by prejudice

Theories of Prejudice and Discrimination • Stereotype – a set of ideas based on distortion, exaggeration, and oversimplification that is applied to all members of a social category. • Hate Crime – a criminal act motivated by prejudice (related to race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry).

Institutionalized Discrimination • Institutionalized discrimination – negative treatment of a minority group that is built into society’s institutions. – the result of unfair practices that are part of the structure of society and have grown out of traditionally accepted behaviors. • American history reflects the open and legal practice of discrimination against members of various minorities (e. g. , internment of Japanese Americans during WWII). • Individual discrimination is discrimination carried out by one person against another.

The Social Construction of Race • Racial passing, or living as if one is a member of a different racial category, has a long history in the United States. • Double-consciousness: W. E. B. Du. Bois’s term for the divided identity experienced by blacks in the United States • Race and ethnicity influence all aspects of our lives, including health, education, work, family, and interactions with the criminal justice system and health care

Institutional Discrimination • Health Care Race – Ethnicity and Mother/Child Deaths

Institutional Discrimination • Home Mortgages and Car Loans Buying a House: Institutional Discrimination in Mortgages

Functionalist Perspective • Functionalists – Focus on the ways that race creates social ties and strengthens group bonds – Acknowledge that such ties can lead to violence and social conflict between groups • Focused on the functions and dysfunctions of prejudice and discrimination – Functions: in-group solidarity and out-group antagonism – Dysfunctions: negative; destroys human relationships; social, political, educational, and economic costs of the exploitation and oppression of minorities are extremely high.

Conflict Perspective • Conflict perspective - Focuses on the struggle for power and control over scarce resources • A majority uses its prejudice and discrimination as weapons of power in the domination of a minority. • Ruling class systematically pits group against group. – Solidarity among groups weakens = they benefit – Keep Workers Insecure – Exploit Racial-Ethnic Divisions – Ex. Black / Latino conflict

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective • Prejudice and discrimination are acquired through socialization. • The labels we learn color our perceptions – leading to selective perception (labels create prejudice) – We see certain things and are blind to others • We learn our prejudices in interaction with others. • Self-fulfilling prophecy – Stereotypical behavior in those who are stereotyped – Ex. Asians’ pressure to succeed

Theoretical Perspectives: Prejudice and Discrimination