Sociology Assignment
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Intro_Module8.pptxRace and Ethnicity
Introduction to Sociology: Module 8
Minority groups are characterized by:
Distinguished from dominant groups
Excluded or denied full participation
Less access to power and resources; evaluated less favorably
Stereotyped, ridiculed, condemned, or otherwise defamed
Develop collective identities
Minority Groups
Minority groups are determined by history and ideology
Dominant groups are not always a numerical majority
Ethnic and racial groups are the most common minority groups in the world
Minority Groups 2
Race is a group within the human species that is identified by a society as presumably having certain biologically inherited physical characteristics
Racial classifications have been based on numerous physical characteristics
Race
Race relation problems are social in origin
Racist doctrines lack any scientific basis
18th and 19th century, four major groupings were assigned:
Mongoloid
Caucasoid
Negroid
Australoid
Later 30 more racial subcategories were created
Racial Categories
In the 1970s, the United Nations issued a “Statement on Race” that stated:
All people are born free and equal both in dignity and in rights
Racism reduces personal development
(Racial) conflicts cost nations money and resources
Racism fuels international conflict
The United Nations on Race
People are defined or define themselves as belonging to a group based in part on physical appearance
Certain associations have symbolic meaning in society.
If people believe something is real, it may become real in its consequences (W.I. Thomas Theorem)
Social significance is the idea from Symbolic interaction theory that social consequences constitute reality
People assigned group membership, in part, on physical appearance
All individuals classify objects, including humans
Classifications used to scientifically study humans
Classifications can provide individuals with an identity
Symbolic Interactionism
Racial stratification was the central stratification system in the US for many years
After WWII, African Americans developed a class structure based on occupation and income, similar to that of Whites
The African American middle class has grown
But the African American urban “underclass” has become increasingly unemployed and isolated
Inequality between Blacks and Whites persist
Has race declined in significance and class become more important in determining placement in the stratification system?
Race vs. Class
Ethnic groups are groups where membership is based on shared cultural heritage and other cultural factors and is often connected with a national or geographic identity
Many racial groups are ethnic groups
Some ethnic groups are concentrated in ethnic enclaves
Asian Americans and Cuban Americans most likely to live in an enclave
The federal government plays central role in creating ethnic groups
Ethnicity
Race is a social construct that can change with conditions in a country
Immigration results in a mix of peoples that create many multiracial individuals
The U.S. accepts more new immigrants than any other country; 13 - 17% of the population is foreign born
In the 2000 Census, 7 million or 2.3% of the U.S. population selected two or more racial categories
White/American Indian the most common mixed category
Currently 7% of the U.S. identifies as multiracial
Biracial and Multiracial
Prejudice are attitudes that prejudge a group, usually negatively and not based on facts
Stereotypes are distorted, oversimplified, or exaggerated ideas passed down over generates through cultures.
Applied to all members of a group
Used to justify prejudice, discrimination, and unequal distribution of resource
A self-fulfilling prophecy is the incorporation of stereotyped behavior into an individual’s view of themselves.
Prejudice
Frustration-Aggression Theory states that acts of prejudice and discrimination are motivated by anger and frustration individuals feel when they cannot achieve their work or goals
Scapegoating is a form of aggressive action motivated by frustration against minority groups because an individual is unable to vent frustration toward the real target or cause
Frustration-Aggression Theory
Racism is any attitude, belief, or institutional arrangement that favors one racial group over another; this favoritism may result in intentional or unintentional consequences for minority groups
Ideological racism - an attempt to justify racism on the basis of a pseudoscientific set of ideas
Symbolic racism - people insist they are not prejudiced or racist, yet oppose social policies that would eliminate racism and make true equality of opportunity possible
Institutional racism - involves discrimination that is hidden within the system
Racism
Discrimination is action taken against members of a minority group; or differential treatment of and harmful actions against minorities
Individual discrimination - action taken against minority group members by individuals which can take the form of exclusion, avoidance, or violence
Institutional discrimination - intentional and unintentional actions engrained in the normal or routine part of the way an organization operates that have consequences that restrict minority group members
Discrimination and prejudice are often found working together and reinforce one another
Discrimination
Purposeful or De jure discrimination – is built into the law or is part of the explicit policies of an organization
Unintentional or De facto discrimination – results from broad policies that favor one group and disadvantage another
Side-effect discrimination practices in one institutional area that have a negative impact because they are linked to practices in another institutional area
Past-in-present discrimination – practices from the past that may no longer be allowed but that continue to affect people today
Types of Discrimination
The form of dominant and minority group relations in a nation depend on several factors:
Who has more power
The needs of the domination group for commodities (labor and/or other resources)
The cultural norms of each group
The social histories of the group
The physical and cultural identifiers of the group
The times and circumstances
Dominant/Minority Group Contact
Spectrum of Group Relations
Genocide is the systematic effort of a dominant group to destroy a minority
Subjugation refers to the subordination of one group to another that holds power and authority
Population transfer refers to the removal of a minority group from a region or country, often forced
Assimilation refers to the structural and cultural merging of minority and majority groups (minority loses their original identity)
Pluralism occurs when each ethnic or racial group in a country maintains its own culture and separate set of institutions but has recognized equity in society
Types of Group Relations
The dominant group protects its privileges and resources by creating a “lesser” group
Privileged people perpetuate prejudice and discrimination against minority group members to keep privileges and resources
Three critical factors contribute to hostility over resources
If two groups are identifiably different
If two groups want the same scarce resources
If one group is more powerful
Conflict Theory
Split Labor Market theory (a branch of conflict theory)- characterizes the labor market as having two levels
Primary market – “clean” jobs
Secondary market – minorities, especially from the urban underclass, are most likely to work in this market.
Competition for secondary jobs sets minorities against each other and against low-income Whites
Employers enjoy reduced threats to their dominance and profit from cheaper labor
Split Labor Market Theory
Structural-Functional Theory
A cheap pool of labors who are in and out of work serves several functions for society
A cheap pool of labor provides a labor force to do “dirty work”
They make occupational which service the poor possible
They buy goods others do not want
They set examples for others of what not to be
They allow others to feel good about giving to charity
Structural Functionalism
Prejudice, racism, and discrimination are dysfunctional for society in many ways
They result in a loss of human resources
They cost society due to poverty and crime
They maintain hostilities between groups
And they fuel disrespect for those in power
Structural Functionalism 2
Individual Effects
Unequal life chances, health, and access to property
Victims can also have low self-esteem from devalued status in society
Organizations and communities
Lose the talents of individuals they exclude
Government subsidies cost millions but made necessary by lack of opportunities for minority individuals
Cultural costs
Attempts to justify racism by stereotyping and labeling
Effects of Racial Stratification
Five common reactions to dealing with a minority group status:
Assimilation – accommodation to prejudice and discrimination
Acceptance – live with minority status with little overt challenge to the system
Avoidance – shunning all contact with the dominant group
Aggression – results from anger and resentment over minority status and from subjugation may lead to retaliation or violence
Change-Oriented Action – minority groups pursue social change in meso and macro-levels of society
Minority Reactions
Objectives of preference policies include:
Eliminate qualifications that are not substantially related to the job that unwittingly favor members of the dominant group
Foster achievement of objectives of the organization that are only possible through enhanced diversity
Policies Governing Minority and Dominant Group Relations
Global issues and ethnic conflicts in the social world are interrelated
The United Nations passed a Declaration of Universal Human Rights after the Holocaust to ensure that every global citizen is awarded particular human rights
National governments and privately funded advocacy groups work for international human rights that transcend national boundaries
Global Movement for Human Rights
