SOC220 - Final Exam

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Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

GLOBAL REALITIES

PART III

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

GLOBAL REALITIES:
Big Picture Questions

How has European imperialism affected racial and ethnic oppression and conflict in the colonized societies?
How does neocolonialism continue the process of former European colonies?

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

The Shaping of Oppression

Today, there is much racial and ethnic oppression and conflict in countries across the globe
Indigenous societies were destroyed or greatly reshaped by the impact of European invaders
If there was already intergroup conflict in the colonized country, it was usually reshaped or redirected by European intervention

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Ongoing Dominant/Subordinate Relationship

After centuries of direct European colonialism, colonizers and colonized have often remained linked
Today, economic neocolonialism typically continues the process of resource exploitation of former colonies

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

GLOBAL RACISM
IN SYSTEMIC PERSPECTIVE

Global colonialism and imperialism examined earlier is typically rationalized in terms of a white racist framing of social events
Considering this history, our concept of systemic racism provides a solid basis for understanding the origins, perpetuation, and maintenance of global racial oppression and large-scale resistance to that oppression

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Systemic Racism

Theory of systemic racism encourages understanding of how deeply embedded racial hierarchies of societies reflect centuries of institutionalized material and economic exploitation
System of racial oppression constantly overlaps and interrelates with other systems of social domination
Especially gender and class domination
However, societal change is very possible

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Oppression and Resistance

The struggle against oppression is an integral part of the racial and ethnic history of the U.S., the overthrow of apartheid in South Africa, the civil rights groups’ efforts to force Brazilian government to fulfill its commitments to “racial democracy,” and the protests by African Muslims in France
All demonstrate the imperative and importance of confronting racial oppression

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Racial and Ethnic Relations

NINTH EDITION

Chapter

Colonialism and Postcolonialism

The Global Expansion of Racism

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Big Picture Questions

How has modern capitalism shaped global patterns of racial exploitation and inequality?
What are the legacies of European colonialism in African and Latin American countries?
Where can systemic racism be found outside the United States?

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

COLONIALISM AND POSTCOLONIALISM

Apartheid
The rigidly institutionalized system of racial segregation and social, economic, and political inequality that had long invaded most aspects of daily life in South Africa
More than a decade after election that marked end of apartheid, institutionalized racism, including overt discrimination, is still everyday reality in contemporary South Africa

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

COLONIALISM AND RACISM

Expansion of Western capitalism around the globe since 1400s fostered division of people according to racial group
Western capitalistic expansion integrated white racist framing and action into global and local economic and political arrangements and cultural production
Global expansion of European capitalism through colonialism and imperialism gave white racist thinking and framing a global scope

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

THE HISTORY AND LEGACY
OF COLONIALISM

Western colonialism began with major overseas expansion of Spain and Portugal
Rulers sought to enhance treasuries with gold, silver, and other goods
Legal and ideological rationale for this colonialism was provided by Roman Catholic popes
After 1500s, European expansion spurred the global expansion of capitalism

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Effect of Colonialism

These countries generated scholars, theologians, and politicians who developed theories of the superiority of white Europeans and the animal-like inferiority of non-Europeans
At early point in time, colonialism became a system of control based on a colonial political administration, an exploitative commercial trade, and missionary zeal to convert indigenous populations to Christianity and “civilization”

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Ideological Remains

Violence and exploitation justified
Ideology of cultural and racial superiority that penetrated religious and political views
European colonialism not only altered lives of the colonized, but also had major effects on colonizers and their home countries
Drawing on old racist ideologies and verbally or physically attacking racially oppressed people reemerged in most of the former colonized societies of Europe and North America

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

TO WHOM DOES SOUTHERN AFRICA BELONG?

According to racist constructions of colonial history, land is usually “discovered” by “civilized” white people
First to “use the land in a productive way”
Khoisan people resided in South Africa when ancestors of current Bantu black majority arrived in 300 C.E.
First European expedition of Portuguese came in 1487

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

White Dominance

In Arabic, kaffir meant “infidel”
South African whites used it as a hostile and degrading term (like “nigger” in the U.S.)
Drawing on powerful white-racist framing, Europeans rated themselves as racially and religiously superior
Boers
White South Africans of Dutch descent
Afrikaaners
Speakers of the Afrikaans language

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Formation of the State and Apartheid

European interest in southern Africa further stimulated by discovery of diamonds and gold in late 19th century
White-controlled state imposed extensive racial segregation on the politically defined population of “blacks” and “coloureds”
People of mixed white-black ancestry
Black South Africans drew on their home cultures to resist racialized oppression and inequality
African National Congress (ANC) founded in 1912 to fight for black African rights

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Reinforcement of Apartheid

Apartheid reinforced by many racist laws
Scholars have debated role of South African capitalists in maintaining apartheid
Though many benefited, some opposed more extreme manifestations

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Opposition to Apartheid

As apartheid intensified, so did efforts of ANC and Pan-African Congress (PAC)
By late 1970s open opposition to apartheid forced government to search for new ways to legitimize its control
For a time, white government attempted to control by exacerbating divisions in black and coloured populations

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

The Fall of Apartheid

White resistance to antiapartheid movement had its limits
Black protests with international economic boycott made life increasingly difficult for whites
White elites disturbed by social chaos and loss of profits
After 12,000 deaths in political clashes over 4 years, government finally moved to hold first free elections
April 1994: Nelson Mandela, head of ANC elected to presidency of South Africa

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Continuing Issues

Today, racist past is still having an effect on South African society
1999: new South African president elected
ANC leader Thabo Mbeki
Tried to provide economic relief for many poor blacks, but largely failed to reach black rural population
2009: Jacob Zuma elected president
Corruption charges
Lax response to AIDS crisis

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Health of South Africa

Government failed to acknowledge the seriousness of AIDS
Currently, about one-fifth of South African adults are HIV positive
Today, many black South Africans are dying, whether slowly or quickly, from unemployment, poor healthcare, and disease. In the context of global racism, poor healthcare is emerging as a new articulation of racism, as it too is tied increasingly to skin color.

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

BRAZIL: LEGACY OF SLAVERY

Brazil has largest African-origin population outside Africa
Slavery abolished more than 100 years ago
Systemic racism still has major effects on black Brazilians today
Differences between black and white Brazilians demonstrate harsh realities of great racial inequality
Brazil colonized during early period of Spain and Portugal imperialistic expansion

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Brazilian History

By 19th century, Brazil resembled U.S. South
Enslaved population numbered about 5 million
Brazil became independent of Portugal in 1822; became a republic in 1889
Since, Brazilian history marked by recurring military intervention in national politics and by continuous debates about establishment of real democracy in a multiracial society

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Ever a Racial Democracy?

After Brazil’s slave system
Stated national goal was to establish racial equality, but this did not develop
Official myth emerged
“Benign patterns” of racial relations
Currently a unique racial democracy
Since late 19th century, one aspect of Brazil’s racial framing has been an obsessive focus on racial mixing
Belief that people of mixed descent exhibit the worse characteristics of their parents’ racial groups and Brazilian society will degenerate as a result of mixing

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Distinctions

Emerging in 19th century, racist assumptions remain part of Brazil’s culture and still influence many whites and even some blacks
Many light-skinned Brazilians believe that differences between racial groups are less important than in South Africa or U.S., but many words for racial identification exist
Preto (black) – mostly or all African ancestry
Pardo (brown) or moreno, with moreno divided into
morenos claros (light) or morenos escuros (dark)
Mulatto – person who is mixed African and European
Movimento Negro – Brazil’s black-power movement

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Whiteness

Today, as in the past, whiteness is a symbol of superiority and the key to social and political power

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Race Relations

Colonial history of U.S. and Brazil different
Racial inequality similar in both countries
While affirmative action policies relatively new in Brazil, country has history of significant racial policies
Some in its constitution and other major laws
Changes in race relations occurred as result of pressure from blacks and organizations

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Indigenous Peoples

Another growing social movement is that of indigenous Brazilians
Though census indicates rapid growth, 12 of 216 indigenous populations are facing extinction
Brazil’s case shows effects of European colonialism on economic and political institutions and on ideological racism’s development and perpetuation in popular culture

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

COLONIALISM AND COLONIZER IN FRANCE

European colonialism legitimated using violence on subordinated people through a dichotomous construction of the colonial world in terms of “good” and “evil”
“Good” colonizing Europeans and “evil” unworthy colonized subjects
Attempts at assimilation and integration have long been fundamentally challenged by these racist assumptions

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

The Character of French Colonization

French colonialism different than British and Portuguese
Claimed newly colonized people as “citizens of France”
At no point in its history has France been unified or monocultural
Subordinated racial and ethnic groups have long been targets of racial hostility
French Jews
Anti-Semitism reemerged during WWII
Opposed exportation of French Jews but did not resist deportation of foreign Jews

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Muslim Immigrants and Racism

Since period of overseas colonialism, debates surrounding immigration to France have often reflected overt and subtle racist thinking about immigration policies
Algeria became French colony in 1830s
Confiscated land and stripped Algerians of political and economic rights
Some Algerians advocated complete assimilation; others demanded independence

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Muslim Immigration and Racism, continued

Since 1960s, migration of Algerians to France has made Islam country’s second major religion
Term immigrant in French popularly used to define only those immigrants of non-European origin
Since 1980, issue of African immigration has come to the forefront of political debate
Issues of racism have often divided France recently

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

French Response

SOS Racism
Anti-racist organization that has actively challenged xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and racism
Yet, attacks on African (especially Arab) immigrants continue
Arabicide
Term some use for more than 200 hundred unsolved murders of Muslim Arab residents of France in recent decades
French law includes no category for hate crimes

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Ongoing Concerns

In addition to anti-African-Muslim violence, racial discrimination in housing, workplace, and education commonplace
Muslim communities face attacks on their culture and traditions
1994: French government banned the wearing of head scarves in public schools by Muslim girls

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

European Union

France’s movement into European Union (EU) brought complexities of “New Europe” into its society
EU stresses worker’s rights, standardization of policies regarding communities of color, and a stable immigration policy
EU politics has also fostered a resurgence of rightist, protectionist, racist, anti-immigration, and anti-community rights political platforms in several countries

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Implications for France

Significantly, according to researchers
Muslim French voters’ political patterns are similar to others in France who share their socioeconomic backgrounds
Colonialism brings oppression and violence not only to the land of the colonized, but also to the land of the colonizer, especially if the colonized migrate to the colonizing country

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

THE FUTURE
OF COLONIALISM

During era of European colonialism and during postcolonial era
European and European Americans have believed that seeds of “Westernization” and “modernization” will eventually bring “civilization” to colonial or formerly colonial areas
Challenging such racist perspectives, power-conflict analysts reject Westernizing perspective

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Lasting Effects of Colonialism

Argument from the power-conflict perspective is that white-generated racism is a global reality today as in the past
From this perspective, colonialism is an exploitative system that has brought great racial and ethnic inequalities and misery to many countries
Enslavement of human beings, whether indigenous or imported, was a common aspect of colonialism; its effects last to this day

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Post-colonial Societies

From strong power-conflict perspective
Realistic assessment of the present and future of post-colonial societies requires a confrontation with entrenched racial inequality and segregation and a major struggle against the persisting practices and pernicious effects of systemic racism and its global realities

Neocolonialism
The continuation of the economic and cultural dominance of the former colonial states

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Colonialism, Capitalism, and Racism: Contemporary Genocide

Last century marred by large-scale hate and massive killings forcing term genocide into widespread use
Genocide is an old human problem
Recently, numerous examples of genocide have remained terrifying and inhuman in the extreme

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Continuing Effects of
Racial Framing

Racial framing of superior and inferior, of civilized and uncivilized, has been firmly in place for centuries – in some form in the minds of most people in the world’s ruling elites – and a great many people have acted on, and continue to act on, its racialized stereotypes, images, emotions, and interpretations
Recent example is Darfur region of Sudan

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Darfur

Events in Darfur are complex
Minority-controlled government is northern and Arabized, while rebels are southern and western and are fighting political and economic oppression
Current Sudanese government is direct descendant of British colonial government which handed over power to Sudanese Arab elite
Much fighting linked to control of oil extracted from southern Sudan

Racial and Ethnic Relations, Ninth Edition Joe R. Feagin • Clairece Booher Feagin

Continuing Violence . . .

In spite of earlier colonial involvement and their shaping of political events, Western and other leaders have delayed responding significantly to ongoing violence
A peace accord was signed in May 2005 between the Arab-led government and non-Arab opposition forces, but as of 2010 killings have not ended
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the Sudanese president al-Bashir for war crimes, but he has rejected both the court’s authority and the charge of genocide