Race and Minority Exam 1 Study Guide Chapter One Minority group a subordinate group whose members has significantly less control or power over their own lives than do the members of a dominant or majority group Minority group is synonymous subordinate They are not minority in number but in power Minority status is not based on the size of the group Minority majority group membership is not necessarily mutually exclusive Minority status may vary according to geopolitical boundaries Minority majority is related to the distribution of power Majority group used interchangeably with dominant group Five characteristics of a minority or subordinate group Unequal treatment and less power over one s life Members of a minority group share physical or cultural characteristics that distinguish them from the dominant group Skin color language Involuntary membership or ascribed status Group solidarity awareness of subordinate status and oppression us vs them Marital endogamy members of a minority generally marry others from the same Four types of minority or subordinate groups group differences Racial groups a group that is socially set apart because of obvious physical Key words obvious and physical What is obvious is relative to the group society Ethnic groups groups set apart from others because of their national origin or distinctive cultural patterns Set apart from dominant group on the basis of cultural differences such as language attitudes toward marriage and parenting and food habits Religious groups consist of religious associations that are set apart from the dominant religion People not of the Christian faith in the United States Mormons Jehovah s Witnesses Amish Muslims Buddhists Gender Groups Such as women who are set apart on the basis of sex Biological notions of race Biological race the mistaken notion of a genetically isolate human group Absence of pure races Given people s frequent migration exploration and invasions pure genetic types have not existed for some time if they ever did There are no mutually exclusive races We are all also very similar in DNA Intelligence Quotient the ratio of a person s mental age as computed by an IQ test to his or her chronological age multiplied by 100 Intelligence tests Sociologists released book called The Bell Curve and stated that members of different races are genetically smarter Social Construction of Race Race is important because of the social mean people have attached to it Race is a social construct based on how people define themselves and others on physical and social characteristics o The process benefits the oppressor who defines who is privileged and who is not Racism the feeling that certain groups or races are inherently superior to others Racial formation a sociohistorical process by which racial categories are created inhabited transformed and destroyed o The powerful define groups of people in a way that depends on a racist social structure Dominant group has the power to impose its racial definitions onto others One drop rule example of a racial formation and also the social construction of race The tradition stipulated that if a person had even a single drop of Black blood that person was defined and viewed as Black Panethnicity the development of solidarity between ethnic subgroups as reflected in the terms Hispanic or Asian American Marginality the status of being between two cultures at the same time person whose mother is a Jew and father a Christian Sociology the systematic study of social behavior and human groups Stratification a structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal rewards and power in a society o A lot of discussion about stratification is centered on class Class as defined by Max Weber people who share similar levels of wealth o Mobility from one class to another is not easy Even harder for minority individuals Theoretical Perspectives Functionalist perspective a sociological approach emphasizing how parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability In this view a society is like a living organism in which each pat contributes to the survival of the whole o Functionalists believe that racism serves five functions Racist ideologies provide justification for unequal treatment Discourages subordinate people from attempting to question their low status Racial beliefs provide support for the existing social order Economic and educational problems of subordinate groups Justify existing practices but also serves as a rallying point for social movements Dysfunction an element of society that may disrupt a social system or decrease its stability o There are six ways in which racism is dysfunctional Fails to utilize human potential and limits search for talen and leadership to dominant group Aggravates social problems and places the financial burden of alleviating problems on the dominant group Investment of time and money to defend barriers that prevent full participation of all Undermines diplomatic ties between nations and affects efforts to increase global trade Inhibits social change Promotes disrespect for law enforcement and the peaceful settlements of disputes Conflict perspective a sociological approach that assumes that the social structure is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups These sociologists see the social world as being in continual struggle o Society is a struggle between the privileged the dominant group and the exploited the subordinate group o The subordinate group is criticized for low status and the dominant groups responsibility o Because the subordinate group is criticized for its low status Sociologist William Ryan is ignored termed Blaming the victim portraying the problems of racial and ethnic minorities as their fault rather than recognizing society s responsibilities Labeling theory a sociological approach introduced by Howard Becker that attempts to explain why certain people are viewed as deviants and others engaging in the same behavior are not o Concern over blaming the victim is titled labeling theory o Attempt to explain why certain people are viewed as deviant and others engaging in the same behavior are not o Ex a youth who misbehaves may be considered and treated as a delinquent if he comes from the wrong kind of family Another youth from a middle class family commits the same sort of misbehavior might be given another chance before being punished Stereotype unreliable exaggerated generalizations