COMM 335 1st Edition Lecture 14 Outline of Last Lecture I Age Identity II Racial and ethnic identity III Racial formation IV Ethnic Identity V What does American mean Outline of Current Lecture I Bounded vs Dominant normative identities II Religious identity III Class identity IV Personal Identity V Minority Identity Development VI Majority Identity Development Current Lecture I II Bounded vs Dominant normative identities a Bounded cultures are groups that we belong to that are specific but not dominant b Membership in the dominant normative white culture is difficult to define though real c Our sense of racial and ethnic identity develops over time in stages as a result of communication with others d The stages of development depend on the type of group to which people belong and are affected by oppression e The strong identities of some groups may have ensured the survival of their cultural groups Religious identity a People vary in the importance they place on their religious identity These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute III IV V VI b Because religious identity is less salient everyday interactions may not invoke religious identity Class identity a Plays an important role in shaping our reactions to and interpretations of culture b Food magazines and words reflect class position and is used to guess class background c Middle class is the norm middle class does not think about class while working class is reminded of their outsider status d U S has a tendency to deny that there are class divisions we think of class in terms of mobility if a person works hard enough he or she can move up Myth of classless society overwhelming evidence of the contrary e When poverty persists the poor is to blame they did something wrong f Media reinforces the notions of class mobility Personal Identity a One s notion of self b Not unified or coherent c Contextual and outside forces constrain and influence our self perception Minority Identity Development a Stages i Unexamined identity lack of exploration desire to assimilate ii Conformity internalize values and norms of dominant group strong desire to assimilate may have negative attitudes toward themselves and their group iii Resistance and Separatism triggered by events including negative ones focus on heritage rejection of dominant group iv Integration ideal outcome strong sense of their own group identity and an appreciation of other cultural groups realize that racism and other forms of oppression occur but anger is redirected toward positive ends confident and secure individual Majority Identity Development a Stages i Unexamined identity awareness of differences but they do not fear others or feel superior communication and relationships not based on differences ii Acceptance internalization and acceptance of racial inequities no conscious identification with being white some assumptions subtly racist communication with minorities is avoided some people never move beyond this stage iii Resistance shift from blaming minority group members to blaming the social system may avoid whites and seek minorities iv Redefinition and reintegration redefining whiteness in non racist terms appreciate other groups no defensiveness about racism but recognition that it exists in society and that blame guilt or denial doesn t help eliminate racism importance of understanding whiteness
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