Chapter 9
Race and Ethnicity
Chapter Outline
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Race and Ethnicity
Prejudice
Discrimination
Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnic
Relations
Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States
Global Racial and Ethnic Inequality in the
Future
What Is Race?
Some views of race:
 Skin color: the Caucasian “race”,
 Religion: the Jewish “race”
 Nationality: the British “race”
 Entire human species: the human “race”
Race and Biology
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Race means little biologically due to
interbreeding within the human population.
Race is socially constructed.
The social significance people give race is
more significant than biological differences that
exist among people who are placed in arbitrary
categories.
Characteristics of Ethnic Groups
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Unique cultural traits (language, clothing,
holidays, religious practices).
A sense of community.
A feeling of ethnocentrism.
Ascribed membership from birth.
The tendency to occupy a geographic area.
Persons Reporting Two or More Races
in 2000 Census
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6.8 million people reported being of two or
more races in Census 2000.
The largest combinations:
–
–
–
–
“White, American Indian, Alaska Native” – 15.96%
“White, Asian” – 12.7%
“White, Black or African American” – 11.5%
“Black or African American, American Indian, Alaska
Native” – 2.7%
Merton’s Typology of
Prejudice and Discrimination
Prejudiced
Attitude?
Discriminatory
behavior?
Unprejudiced
nondiscriminator
No
No
Unprejudiced
discriminator
No
Yes
Prejudiced
nondiscriminator
Yes
No
Prejudiced
Discriminator
Yes
Yes
Four Major Types of Discrimination
1.
2.
Isolate discrimination
A prejudiced judge giving harsher sentences
to African American defendants.
Small-group discrimination
Small group of white students defacing a
professor’s office with racist epithets.
Four Major Types of Discrimination
3.
4.
Direct institutionalized discrimination
Intentional exclusion of people of color from
public accommodations.
Indirect institutionalized discrimination
Special education classes may have
contributed to racial stereotyping.
Contact Hypothesis
Contact between divergent groups should be
positive as long as group members:
1. Have equal status.
2. Pursue the same goals.
3. Cooperate with one another to achieve goals.
4. Receive positive feedback while interacting.
Sociological Perspectives on Race
and Ethnic Relations
Focus
Theory
Symbolic
Microlevel contacts between Contact hypothesis
Interactionist individuals
Functionalist Macrolevel intergroup
processes
Assimilation:
cultural, biological,
structural,
psychological
Ethnic pluralism:
Equalitarian and
inequalitarian
Sociological Perspectives on Race
and Ethnic Relations
Focus
Conflict
Theory
Power/economic
Caste perspective
differentials between Class perspective
dominant and
Internal colonialism
subordinate groups.
Split labor market
Gendered racism
Racial formation
Critical Race Racism is an
Theory
ingrained feature of
society that affects
everyone.
Law can remedy overt
discrimination but has little
effect on subtle racism.
Odds of Becoming a Professional
Athlete by Race/Ethnicity and Sport
Race / Ethnicity
Sport
White
African
American
Football
1 in 62,500
1 in 47,600
Baseball
1 in 83,300
1 in 333,300 1 in 500,000
1 in
50,000,000
1 in 153,800 1 in
33,300,000
—
Basketball 1 in 357,100
Latino/a
Asian
American
1 in
2,500,000
1 in
5,000,000
Note: Odds of Native Americans participating in professional football are 1 in
12,500,000. They are not represented in other professional sports
Racial and Ethnic Groups in the
United States
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Native Americans
White Anglo-Saxon Protestants
African Americans
White Ethnic Americans
Asian Americans
Latinos/as
Middle Eastern Americans
Native Americans
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Most disadvantaged group in the U.S. in terms
of income, employment, housing, and nutrition.
As a group they have experienced:
– Genocide
– Forced Migration
– Forced Assimilation
African Americans
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Slavery was rationalized by stereotyping
African Americans as inferior and childlike.
Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 sought to
eliminate discrimination in education, housing,
employment and health care.
Asian Americans
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Fastest growing ethnic minority in the U.S.
Includes Japanese, Korean, Filipino and
Indochinese Americans.
Latinos/as (Hispanic Americans)
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Includes Mexican American's, Puerto Ricans
and Cuban Americans.
Many Mexican American families have lived in
the U.S. for 4 or 5 generations and have made
significant contributions.
In 1917, Puerto Ricans acquired U.S.
citizenship and the right to move freely to and
from the mainland.
Middle Eastern Americans
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Includes immigrants from Egypt, Syria,
Lebanon, Iran, and Jordan.
The Lebanese, Syrians, and Iranians primarily
come from middle class backgrounds.
Most Iranian immigrants initially hoped to
return to Iran; however, many have become
U.S. citizens.
Growing Racial and Ethnic
Diversity in the United States
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In 1980 white Americans made up 80% of the
population.
In 2000, white Americans made up 70% of the
population.
By 2056, the roots of the average U.S. resident
will be in Africa, Asia, Hispanic countries, the
Pacific Islands, or Arabia—not white Europe.