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Race and Ethnicity
Introduction to Sociology
Race and Ethnicity
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Racial Group
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Group set apart from others because
of obvious, identifiable physical differences.
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Socially constructed / defined attribute that is tied to beliefs about differences.
Ethnic Group
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Group set apart from others primarily because of its national origin or distinctive cultural patterns
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“consciousness of kind”; shared values, beliefs, norms, nationality, etc…
Social Construction of Reality
Social Construction of Race
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The concept of race is not very useful for biologists, it is important for sociologists because:
“people’s assumptions about race have tremendous consequences for individuals”
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Socially constructed category composed of people who share biologically transmitted traits that
members of the society consider important.
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Race is tied to beliefs about the differences that originate from the physical makeup of different
individuals.
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Race and Ethnicity
Introduction to Sociology
Social Construction of Race
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Various taxonomies:
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Blumenbach – Divided people into five racial catagories.
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Polygenism – Different races evolved from different origins; different species of humanity.
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South African apartheid laws: four racial groups.
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Montague – Taxonomies varied from 2 to 2,000 racial groups.
§
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He identified and recorded 40 different groups on his own.
Sociologist consider terms like Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid as misleading because
there are no biologically pure races.
Ethnicity
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Ties that bind: religion, language, dress, music, food, and so on…
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Is in part shared culture but also how a group is perceived (ascribed ethnicity).
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In the United States ethnic identities and communities were constructed.
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Ethnicity is in a sense, “Marked”.
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Connotations of something foreign or exotic.
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Supermarkets have “ethnic food” sections. What is stocked throughout the rest of the
store?
Minorities
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Subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives.
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Any category of people distinguished by physical and cultural differences.
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Distinct Identity (other identity).
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Subordination.
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Involuntary Membership.
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Solidarity.
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Race and Ethnicity
Introduction to Sociology
A Sense of Ethnicity
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Doan asserts that our ethnic identity is heightened or reduced based on our identification with the
“greater power” (dominant group).
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The more a group identifies with the majority and feels apart of the dominant group the greater
the group’s sense of belonging.
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If a group is relatively small, has little power, and it’s physical characteristics and cultural
practices set them apart from the dominant culture, the greater their sense of, and sensitivity to,
discrimination.
Stereotypes
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Stereotypes deny the existence of individual differences among members of specific social groups.
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Learned, Necessary for interaction, Dangerous.
Prejudice
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Negative attitude toward an entire category of people.
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Prejudice comes from the Latin word for prejudgement.
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There is nothing inherently wrong with prejudgement.
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Prejudgement – Underlies the whole learning experience.
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Prejudice – Rigid and unfair generalization about a category of person.
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A sociologically constructed category.
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Can be positive. For most who experience prejudice it is negative.
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Positive or negative it denies personhood.
Based on inaccurate information and/or illogical arguments.
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Often unjustified.
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People tend to hold on to prejudice even when presented with contradictory information.
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Prejudice sustained by stereotypes.
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Introduction to Sociology
Social Distance Scale
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How close are people willing to interact with members from a particular category
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(Bogardus 1925, 1946, 1956, 1966, 2005)
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I would accept…
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Family member by marriage.
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Close friend.
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Neighbor.
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Co-worker.
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Speaking acquaintances.
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May visit my country.
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Bar from my country.
Recent findings.
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Trend toward greater acceptance.
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Less discernable differences between minorities.
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Reduced acceptance of Muslims / Arabs / Likely Sikhs
Discrimination
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Prejudice and stereotypes involve attitudes and beliefs.
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Discrimination involves behavior.
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Denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups based on some type of bias.
Merton’s Typology of Discrimination and Prejudice:
Prejudice
Yes
No
Yes
Discriminatory
No
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Race and Ethnicity
Introduction to Sociology
Categories of Discrimination
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Allport identified five general categories that range “from the least energetic to the most”.
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Verbal Rejection
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Avoidance
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Active Discrimination
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Physical Attacks
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Extermination (Genocide)
Individual vs. Institutional
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Individual Discrimination: occurs when an individual discriminates against another individual
(Cultural).
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Institutional Discrimination: involves a denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals and
groups that results from the normal operation of society (Structural).
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White Privilege: Rights or immunities granted to people as a benefit or favor simply because
they are white.
Institutional Racism - Rewind
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Public Issue / Private Trouble
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Personal Trouble perspective limits our ability to see how we may be locked into lager patterns
of racism without being aware of it.
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The Racial Contract (Charles W. Mills)
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Inherited wealth
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Established norms
Unlike individual discrimination, institutional discrimination can occur even when people have “no
intention of subordinating others because of color [or other ascribed characteristics] and are totally
unaware of doing so”.
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Race and Ethnicity
Introduction to Sociology
Discrimination and “Isms”
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Isms are different from ordinary discrimination.
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Ageism
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Racism
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Sexism
The suffix “ism” is applied to acts of discrimination that occur at the institutional level or, when they
occur at the individual level, are consistent with institutional patterns of discrimination.
For Example…
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When a person who is African-American tells an anti-white joke it is discriminatory.
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When a white person tells an anti-African-American joke it is an “ism”.
The Difference
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From a sociological perspective, the “ism” is used to signal the differences in potency of different types
of discrimination.
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Discriminatory acts are “isms” when their source is a member of a dominant group and the target is a
member of a subordinate group within society.
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How aware of your social position are you in your day to day experiences?
Reverse “ism”
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Sociologically speaking… impossible.
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For members of the dominant group to be the target of discrimination is upsetting and shocking.
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Research suggests (it never “proves” anything) that when the rights or privileges are extended to subdominant, subordinate, or minority groups that the perception is, for the dominant group, a loss of
advantage or privilege.
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Race and Ethnicity
Introduction to Sociology
Reverse “ism” (Continued)
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Definition of the situation:
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Reverse Discrimination.
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Affirmative Action - Efforts to recruit minority members or women for jobs, promotions,
and educational opportunities.
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Minority / Sub-Dominant groups have a certain familiarity with and exception of discriminatory acts.
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Dominant groups are inept, ill-equipped, and shocked.
Truly Disadvantaged
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From the 1950s to 1970, emphasis was on the equality of individual opportunity.
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Focus does not adequately address the lingering effects of prolonged periods of bias and
discrimination.
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Wilson argues that affirmative action policies benefit those members of previously discriminated against
populations who have the greatest amount of resources in spite of bias.
Confessions….
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What kind of contradictions did Kelley experience as the “nice negro”?
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What does he mean when he says that he is “safe”?
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What kind of contradictions did Kelley experience as an intimidating black man?
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Meeting the dominant race’s expectations, in terms of how one conducts themselves, creates a “I’m not
a racist” racism definition of the situation.
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Joe Louis vs. Jack Johnson
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Race and Ethnicity
Introduction to Sociology
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
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Meanings attached to race, ethnicity and SES.
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Labeling Theory: Racial profiling, action based on the meanings attached to one’s tribal stigma
rather than their actual behavior.
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Based on stereo-types
Contact Hypothesis: Contact between people of different races in cooperative circumstances,
particularly if they are of somewhat equal SES will result in less prejudice.
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Scapegoat Theory
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Frustration among the disadvantaged.
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Someone with less privilege (resources) is blamed for the suffering of those persons
better off than them, but still disadvantaged.
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