Sociology. 6

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Sociology: The Essentials, 

10e Chapter 10: Race and Ethnicity

Chapter Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to: • Define race and ethnicity as social constructions. • Distinguish prejudice and discrimination. • Understand the different forms of racism. • Relate the brief history of diverse racial and ethnic groups. • Identify current evidence of racial stratification. • Compare different explanations of racial inequality. • Explore and debate current strategies for achieving racial justice.

Icebreaker: Race and Ethnicity   (10 minutes)

1. Working in pairs, respond to the following questions: −How do you identify your race? −How did you first learn about your race? −How do you identify your ethnicity? −How did you first learn about your ethnicity?

2. Join the rest of the class and introduce your partner to the rest of the class.

The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity (1 of 5)

• A racial or ethnic group is a social category of people who share a common culture: − A common language or dialect − A common nationality − A common religion − Common norms, practices, customs, and history

• Ethnic groups develop because of their unique historical and social experiences. • Many people currently have a multiethnic and multiracial identity.

The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity (2 of 5)

• A race is a group treated as distinct, based on certain traits, some biological, that have been assigned social importance. • Based on presumed inferior traits, a race is often singled out for unfair

treatment. • Biological characteristics do not define racial groups. • How groups have been treated historically and socially defines them.

The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity (3 of 5)

• Racialization: when some social category, such as a social class or nationality, takes on what is perceived to be racial characteristics. • The Jewish people are an example of how race is a socially constructed

category. − Jews are more accurately called an ethnic group due to religious and cultural

heritage but were defined as a “race” in Nazi Germany. • The salience principle states:

−We categorize people on the basis of what appears initially prominent. − The choice of salient characteristics is culturally determined.

The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity (4 of 5)

The biological traits used to define racial groups vary both within and between groups.

− These defining differences are somewhat arbitrary. − Different groups use different criteria to define racial groups.

Racial formation is the process by which racial categories are   created, inhabited, transformed, and/or destroyed.

Image: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

What race is the person shown in this photo? The photo is jazz singer Etta James, who passed away in 2012. Probably best

known for her rendition of “At Last,” James was born to an African American mother and, people think, a White father, most likely Swiss. According to the one drop rule, she would be Black. As

concepts of race change, perhaps were she still living she would be considered multiracial.

The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity (5 of 5)

• A minority group is: −Any distinct group in society that shares common group characteristics and

occupies low status in society because of prejudice and discrimination. • Minority groups are defined by their subordinate status in society because of the

power that a dominant group holds over them. • A group may be classified as a minority on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender,

sexual preference, age, religion, or class status.

Discussion Activity   (20 minutes)

• Have students discuss their ethnic origins as far back as possible. In the discussion highlight where they came from, the economic position of their ancestors, and the key historical reality they faced. Were they minorities? Were they economically stressed?

Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotypes (1 of 3)

• In everyday social interaction, people tend to categorize other people. • A stereotype is an oversimplified set of beliefs about members of a social group

or social stratum. −Stereotypes presume to describe the “typical” member of some social group. ▪Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s group is superior to all other

groups. ▪Stereotype threat is being reminded of stereotypes and how they can

influence people’s behavior (for example, perform less well).

Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotypes (2 of 3)

• Prejudice is the evaluation of a social group and its members that is based on misconceptions and false generalizations. −Prejudice is usually negative and hostile. −Prejudiced attitudes are learned. −Prejudice involves both prejudgment and misjudgment. −Virtually no one is free of prejudice.

Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotypes (3 of 3)

• Discrimination is the unequal treatment of members of some social group or stratum solely because of their membership in that group. • Prejudice is an attitude; discrimination is overt behavior. • Discrimination is illegal in the United States, but various discriminatory

processes continue.

Discussion Activity   (15 minutes)

• Have students develop modern stereotypes of their culture. Let them make up new names and activities that relate to technology, physical features, and behaviors of their generation. Are race and gender still an issue in these new themes?

Racism: Its Many Forms (1 of 4)

• The perception and treatment of a racial or ethnic group, or member of that group, as intellectually, socially, and culturally inferior to the dominant group. • Racism is more than an attitude; it is institutionalized in society and has many

different forms.

Racism: Its Many Forms (2 of 4)

• Different forms of racism: −Traditional racism (or Jim Crow racism) may include physical assaults,

from beatings to lynching. −Aversive racism is subtle, covert, and nonobvious—such as avoiding

interaction with someone of another race or ethnicity. − Implicit bias is a nonconscious form of racism. −Colorblind racism occurs when individuals prefer to ignore legitimate

differences and insist race problems will go away.

Racism: Its Many Forms (3 of 4)

• Laissez-faire racism involves several elements: −The subtle but persistent negative stereotyping of minorities, especially in the

media. −A tendency to blame the victim. −Resistance to meaningful policy efforts designed to improve America’s

racially oppressive social conditions and practices.

Racism: Its Many Forms (4 of 4)

• Institutional racism − The negative treatment/oppression of one racial/ethnic

group by society’s institutions. − Exists at the level of the social structure. − External to the individual—thus institutional.

• Racial profiling is an example of institutional racism in the criminal justice system.

Image: Daryl L/Shutterstock.com

Diverse Groups / Diverse Histories   (1 of 6)

• The term identifying each racial/ethnic group varies by individual. • Currently “people of color” refers to any racial/ethnic minority group. • Native Americans

−Were here thousands of years before their “discovery” by Europeans. −Discovery quickly turned to conquest, and Europeans systematically drove

the Native Americans from their lands.

Diverse Groups / Diverse Histories   (2 of 6)

• African Americans −Slavery in the Americas is related to world markets for sugar and tobacco. ▪Slaves were imported from Africa to the Americas to provide labor (an

estimated 12 million Africans). ▪Slavery evolved as a caste system in which one caste, the slaveholders,

profited from the labor of another caste, the slaves.

Diverse Groups / Diverse Histories   (3 of 6)

• Latinx/Hispanic Americans −Many Latinx/Hispanic Americans have lived for generations in the United

States. ▪They were traditionally not immigrants but very early settlers from Spain

and Portugal. ▪They are now the largest minority group in the United States. ▪They also include Latin and Central American immigrants, as well as

Puerto Ricans and Cubans.

Diverse Groups / Diverse Histories   (4 of 6)

• Asian Americans −Asian Americans are from many different countries and diverse cultural

backgrounds. ▪Asian Americans include migrants from China, Japan, the Philippines,

Korea, and Vietnam, as well as more recent immigrants from Cambodia and Laos.

Diverse Groups / Diverse Histories   (5 of 6)

• Middle Easterner Americans − Immigrants from the Middle East have migrated to the United States from

countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Iran, and more recently, Iraq. ▪Contrary to popular belief, immigrants speak no single language and

follow no singular religion and are thus ethnically diverse. ▪Some are Catholic, some are Coptic Christian, and many are Muslim.

Diverse Groups / Diverse Histories   (6 of 6)

• White Ethnic Americans −The story of White Ethnic Americans in the United States begins during the

colonial period. ▪White Anglo Saxon Protestants (WASPs), who were originally immigrants

from England and to some extent Scotland and Wales, settled in the New World. ▪ Irish immigrants were viciously stereotyped, abused, and attacked from

the mid 19th to the early 20th century.

Collaborative Activity   (15 minutes)

• Peggy McIntosh’s famous essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” was written several decades ago. • After reading through it, have students work in small groups to determine two

things they would get rid of and two things they would add to the list to bring it up to date with modern times. • Write these on the board in two columns and discuss the rationale behind the

decision.

https%253A%252F%252Fpsychology.umbc.edu%252Ffiles%252F2016%252F10%252FWhite-Privilege_McIntosh-1989.pdf

Racial Stratification: A Current Portrait

• Racial stratification is a system of inequality in which race and ethnicity mark differential access to economic, social, political, and cultural resources. The inequality is systemic and results from institutional racism. −Economic inequality is the persistent income gap between white people

and people of color. Black households had a median income in 1970 that was 61% of that of white households—the gap hasn’t changed. −Segregation is the spatial and social separation of racial and ethnic groups.

Segregation is currently most evident in housing and education.

Explaining Racial and Ethnic Inequality   (1 of 3)

• Functionalists argue that minorities must assimilate into the society for race and ethnic relations to be functional. −Assimilation is how a minority becomes socially, economically, and culturally

absorbed within the dominant society. −This assumes becoming fully fledged members of society and requires

adopting as much of the dominant society’s culture as possible. − Is cultural pluralism possible?

Explaining Racial and Ethnic Inequality   (2 of 3)

• The Culture-Structure Debate −The role of culture: Cultural explanations assume that there is something

wrong with the values of racial and ethnic groups. This can lead to blaming the victim of inequality.

• Is It Class or Is It Race? − Is racial inequality simply a function of class status, or does race still matter?

Explaining Racial and Ethnic Inequality   (3 of 3)

• The basic premise of conflict theory is that class-based conflict is an inherent and fundamental part of social interaction. • The intersectional theory examines the combined effects of racism, classism

(elitism), and gender in the oppression of people. −How race is experienced also depends on one’s gender and social class.

Collaborative Activity   (10 minutes)

• Have the class divide into groups and debate the pros and cons of assimilation versus pluralism. Be sure they create two lists (one for assimilation—pros and cons, and one for pluralism—pros and cons). • Have students choose a speaker and present their list to the class. • You can write the responses on the board to generate a complete list and then

open it up for discussion.

Racial Justice: Changes and Challenges   (1 of 3)

• Progress has been made: −The United States elected its first Black president in 2008. −Visible leadership of people of color in many places.

• Yet the question remains: −How can a nation respond to its (new) diversity? −And to the issues faced by minorities since the nation’s founding?

Racial Justice: Changes and Challenges   (2 of 3)

• The history of U.S. racial/ethnic relations shows several strategies to achieve greater equality. −Political mobilization, legal reform, and social policy have caused major social

changes in race relations. −The major force behind most progressive social changes in race relations

was the civil rights movement.

Racial Justice: Changes and Challenges   (3 of 3)

• The Black Power Movement −Color-blind policies: all groups must be treated alike. −Race-specific policies: recognize unique status of racial groups because of

the long history of discrimination. ▪These policies argue that color-blind strategies will not work. ▪#BlackLivesMatter: new movement due to concerns about police

shootings of Black people.

Collaborative Activity   (20 minutes)

• Divide the class into groups and have each group go to the website ProCon to review five pros and cons of Affirmative Action. Have groups create their own list of pros and cons of Affirmative Action and present to the class.

https://aclu.procon.org/questions/does-the-us-need-affirmative-action/

Assessment 1

A(n) __________ is a social category of people who share a common culture, a common language or dialect, religion, norms, customs, and history. A. Minority group B. Ethnic group C. Ascribed group D. Primary group

Assessment 1 Answer

B. Ethnic group

Assessment 2

A(n) __________ is a group treated as distinct in society on the basis of certain characteristics, some of which are biological, that have been assigned social importance in society. A. Ethnic group B. Minority group C. Racial group D. Dominant group

Assessment 2 Answer

C. Racial group

Assessment 3

__________ racism, a form of racism, is the negative treatment and oppression of one racial or ethnic group by society’s existing organizations based on the presumed inferiority of the oppressed group. A. Color-blind B. Individual C. Institutional D. Laissez-faire

Assessment 3 Answer

C. Institutional

Summary

Click the link to review the objectives for this presentation. Link to Objectives