You may have already noticed the use of the terms “white” and “black” to describe Jodi’s concepts of race, a socially constructed category of people based on real or perceived physical differences. Physical differences refer to a person’s appearance, including skin, eye and hair color, and bone/jaw structure.
Ethnicity, social and cultural characteristics that set apart one group of people from another, is a way to group people based upon common heritage, language, food, and values.
This results in the formation of stereotypes, generalized opinions, and impressions of individuals, groups, or social classes (HP). Stereotypes are assumed characteristics of other people that are not always accurate.
If so, this is an example of cultural appropriation, when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in stereotypical, exploitative, or disrespectful ways, associated with Halloween costumes.
One means of unintentionally reinforcing stereotypes is stereotype threat, a concern experienced when one feels at risk of confirming the inferiority or negative characteristics of one’s group (HP)
Racial prejudice, a preconceived judgment or opinion of other people and races that leads to preferring one kind of person over another (HP), typically arises from race-based stereotypes.
This can lead to discrimination, unfair or differential treatment of individuals and groups
redlining, the practice of arbitrarily denying, limiting, or charging more for financial services, insurance, or access to healthcare to specific neighborhoods, based on racial and economic issues.
Racism, the belief that one race is superior to others resulting in unequal or demoralizing treatment of other races (C-19), can be easier to identify than discrimination.
These incidents have raised the question of the extent of institutional racism, societal patterns that produce negative treatment against groups of people based on their race.
One approach is avoiding the topic altogether, as, in the case of racial colorblindness, the idea that ignoring or overlooking racial and ethnic differences promotes racial harmony (HP).
pluralism, maintaining social equality and distinct cultural characteristics within and among races and ethnicities.
assimilation, the process in which minority groups lose their distinct cultural characteristics and are absorbed into the dominant group.
- raditionalists: High degree of ethnic consciousness, live in Korean enclaves, and speak only Korean.
- Integrationists: Detached from the Korean community and attempt to live as White Americans.
- Isolationists: Unable to live as Korean or American in the U.S. and return to Korea.
- Pluralists: Limited social assimilation, preferring to identify as Korean and American.
The dominant or majority group, a group that controls the economic, social, and political power and resources, is often, but not always, the group largest in population. In the U.S., the majority group is White Caucasians, with economic and political dominance.
A minority group, a disadvantaged group with significantly less economic, social, and political power and resources, represents subordinate groups such as Hispanic, Black, Asian, American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.
majority-minority, when a population or district consists of over 50 percent minorities (U.S. Census Bureau 2015; 2021). Hispanics are becoming a majority-minority in many cities in the U.S. Seven of the 15 most populated U.S.
racial segregation, the separation of groups based on differences such as ethnicity, gender, race, social class or religion (HP), desegregation, the elimination of the policy of segregation by legal and social means, and affirmative action, policies designed to promote educational and job opportunities for minorities and women, in higher education. The American school system has been legally desegregated since the 1954 Supreme Court ruling of Brown v. Board of Education, but de facto segregation, segregation that happens “by fact,” rather than a requirement, remains. In other words, even though there are laws prohibiting segregation, it still exists structurally in the educational system, communities, and prisons.
Asian American stereotype of the model (or ideal) minority group, an ethnic group that is more academically, economically, and socially successful than other racial minority groups, is widely held in the U.S. The stereotype is based on the perception that Asian American students are more successful than other racial minority groups because of an intrinsic value of hard work and parents who push them to exceed.
In the early 20th century, there were numerous examples of internal colonialism, the exploitation of a society’s minority group by its dominant group in the U.S. During this time, the majority group was composed of White Caucasians who controlled the economic, social, and political resources
One notable example was enacted by the powerful minority White South African government on majority Black citizens from 1948 to 1991 in a system known as apartheid, policies, regulations, and laws implemented by a government to keep racial and ethnic groups separate.
Population transfer (HP), the involuntary relocation of a minority group by a dominant group, is a type of forced migration and can be indirect or direct. When a population voluntarily relocates, sociologists call it indirect population transfer, when the minority group population chooses to leave a location.
it is referred to as direct population transfer, when the dominant group makes a minority group population leave a location by force.
The most extreme social problem associated with race and ethnicity is genocide, the systematic killing of one group based on differences in race, ethnicity, religion, etc.
Functionalist Theory: When it comes to social problems associated with issues of race and ethnicity, the functionalist perspective looks at the intended and unintended consequences of the policy and how policies contribute to society’s overall stability.
How did the Jim Crow laws of the past contribute to the social instability of the past? In what way do the current policies on race and ethnicity contribute to the wellbeing of society?
Conflict Theory: The conflict perspective examines social problems associated with race and ethnicity as a power struggle between dominant and subordinate groups. The powerful, dominant group institutes policies that members of the less powerful subordinate group find objectionable.
hate crime, criminal behavior directed at individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion(C-19).
While some individuals hide or ignore racism, others simply don’t realize they exhibit racist characteristics, or implicit bias, unconsciously held attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes about others.
glass ceiling, social and legal barriers designed to prevent minorities and women from advancing in the workplace (HP), plays a greater role in their everyday lives.
In sociology, this is known as the split-labor market, a byproduct of the capitalist system that splits workers along racial and ethnic lines to weaken worker solidarity.
One way our understanding of race and ethnicity evolves is through amalgamation, the creation of a new group due to the combination of a minority and a majority group.
contact hypothesis, the idea that prejudice decreases when two groups of equal status come into contact, indicates that there are advantages to diverse groups intermingling in society