Race Relations Chapter 1 Exploring Race and Ethnicity Introduction Race and ethnicity are exceedingly complex in the United States Hate groups via social media are protected by the First Amendment Creation of these hate groups are banned in Canada Europe and elsewhere Ranking Groups Minority group a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives than do the members of a dominant or majority group Narrowing of life s opportunities Does not proportionally hold value to the rest of society Being superior in numbers does not guarantee a group control over its destiny and ensure majority status Minority Subordinate Group Must 1 Unequal treatment a Prejudice discrimination segregation extermination Involuntary membership 2 Distinguishing physical or cultural traits 3 4 Awareness of subordination 5 In group marriage Types of Groups 1 Racial group differences obvious physical a group that is socially set apart because of obvious physical 2 Ethnic groups distinctive cultural patterns cultural differences Ex Hispanic Latino a group set apart form others because of its national origin or 3 Religious groups Protestant largest group Roman Catholics largest minority religion Jews are excluded from a religious category and placed among ethnic groups 4 Gender groups Women are considered a minority although they do not exhibit all the characteristics outlined earlier Prejudice discrimination physically distinguishable involuntary group membership sense of sisterhood 5 Other subordinate groups Age disability status physical appearance sexual orientation etc Does Race Matter Biological Meaning Biological race the mistaken notion of a genetically isolated human group Absence of Pure Races Given people s frequent migration exploration and invasions pure genetic types of not existed for some time if they ever did Biologically there are no pure distinct races Intelligence Tests Intelligence quotient IQ the ratio of a person s mental age to his or her chronological age multiplied by 100 Questions geared toward middle class whites Social Construction of Race Racism a doctrine that one race is superior Race is a social construction benefits the oppressor who defines who is privileged and who is not The acceptance of race in a society as a legitimate category allows racial hierarchies to emerge to the benefit of the dominant races Racial formation a sociohistorical process by which racial categories are created inhabitated transformed and destroyed One drop rule One drop of black blood made you black Biracial and Multiracial Identity Who Am I Increasing numbers of people are identifying themselves as biracial or multiracial 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 such as the status of Jewish immigrants in the United States Sociology and the Study of Race and Ethnicity Sociology the systematic study of social behavior and human groups Stratification by Class and Gender Stratification a structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal rewards and power in a society Class as defined by Max Weber people who share similar levels of wealth Mobility from one class to another is not easy Theoretical Perspectives Functionalist Perspective A society is like a living organism in which each part contributes to the survival of the whole Racism is both functional and dysfunctional Conflict Perspective Assumes that the social structure is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups Readily accounts for the presence of tension between competing groups Radical and activist Blaming the victim portraying the problems of racial and ethnic minorities as their fault rather than recognizing society s responsibilities Labeling Approach Tries to explain why people are deviant and others engaging in the same behavior are not Stereotypes unreliable exaggerated generalization about all members of a group that do not take individual differences into account Self fulfilling prophecy tendency to respond to and act on the basis of stereotypes a predisposition that can lead one to validate false definitions The Creation of Subordinate Group Status 1 Migration a general term that describes any transfer of population Emigration any transfer of population leaving a country to settle in another Immigration coming into the new county as a permanent resident Push factors discourage a person from remaining where she or he lives Pull factors encourage to come to new country Involuntary migration is no longer common as it was before Globalization worldwide integration of government policies cultures social movements and financial markets through trade movements of people and the exchange of ideas 2 Annexation Nations particularly during was or as a result of war incorporate or attach land a When annexation occurs the dominant power generally suppresses the language and culture of the minority Minorities try to maintain their cultural integrity despite annexation 3 Colonialism a foreign power s maintenance of political social economic and cultural dominance over people for an extended period a Colonialism has been the most common way for one group of people to dominate another b Colonialism is rule by outsiders but unlike annexation does not involve actual incorporation into the dominant people s nation c Societies gain power over a foreign land through military strength sophisticated political organization and investment capital The extent of power may also vary according to the dominant group s scope of settlement in the colonial land Relations between the colonial nation and the colonized people are similar to those between a dominant group and exploited subordinate groups The colonial subjects generally are limited to menial jobs and the wages from their labor The natural resources of their land benefit the members of the ruling class d World systems theory a view of the global economic system as divided between nations that control wealth and those that provide natural resources and labor i The limited economic resources available in developing nations exacerbate many of the ethnic racial and religious issues ii The presence of massive inequality between nations only serves to encourage immigration generally and the movement of many of the most skilled from developing nations to the industrial