INEQUALITY: RACE & ETHNICITY

assimilation is the process by which members of minority groups change their ways to conform to those of the dominant culture

the melting pot is misleading because various cultures do not melt into a new culture, rather racial and ethnic minorities take on the traits of dominant culture

multiculturalism is the effort to recognize past and present cultural diversity and to promote the equality of all cultural traditions

pluralism is a state in which racial and ethnic minorities are distinct but have social parity (share resources equally)

prejudice relates to rigid and unfavorable attitudes, beliefs, and feelings about members of a social group. Stereotypes and prejudices are learned and internalized through the socialization process

discrimination refers to the unfair/negative/unequal treatment (i.e. actions/behavior) based on some social characteristics such as race, sex, or ethnicity (people with power have the ability to enforce their prejudice to the detriment of others)

ethnicity: a shared racial, linguistic, or national identity of a social group. Incorporates several  forms of collective identity (i.e. cultural, religious, national, subcultural). Ethnic groups have a consciousness of their common cultural bond.

race: socially constructed category on the basis of certain characteristics, some biological but mostly arbitrary. What is important is to recognize the social importance assigned to these categories and how they change over time and from culture to culture (Irish was a separate race in the US history but today they are redefined as white)

minority: minority groups occupy low status in society because of prejudice and discrimination. Minority groups are racial and ethnic groups but not all racial and ethnic groups are minorities. A group may for m a minority on the basis of ethnicity, race, sexual preference, age, or class status (not necessarily a numerical minority-- i.e. South Africa)

it is very important to recognize how gender, race/ethnicity and class interact: for example, white lower class male is more disadvantaged than an upper class college educated woman of color.
 
 

Stage 1: prejudice and discrimination begin, often as expression of ethnocentrism or an attempt to justify economic exploitation
Stage 2: as a result of prejudice and discrimination, a minority is socially disadvantaged, occupying low positions in the system of social stratification
Stage 3: the social disadvantage is then interpreted not as a result of earlier prejudice and discrimination, but as evidence that the minority is innately inferior, unleashing renewed prejudice and discrimination by which the cycle repeats itself.

racism is a principle of social domination by which a group seen as inferior or different is exploited, controlled, and oppressed psychologically, socially, politically, and economically by another group (which can take on a personal, cultural, or institutional level)- includes the attitudes and the behavior

personal racism

• is the expression of negative feelings toward certain racial or ethnic groups by individual people
• can be obvious (name calling, acts of violence, etc.) or subtle (poor service, reduced eye contact, greater physical difference, etc.) ........ which one is more common?
• many people who are not self consciously racist act in subtly racist ways.

institutional racism

• is the laws, customs, and practices that systematically reflect and produce racial inequalities in society, whether or not the individuals maintaining these practices have racist intentions.
• it is the established, customary, routine ways in which some groups are kept subordinate (i.e. higher interest loans)
• harder to detect than personal racism
• many times illegal but continues to exist (partly because of economic concerns and inequality, partly because of educational inequality)