Knowing ‘the Other’
Vanier College, A07
Reading questions and critical-learning exercises
Reading 5 “Stereotyping, Racism and Discrimination” by C. James (in course
reader)
Reading 5, “Confronting Stereotyping, Racism and Discrimination”
1. In the introductory section of this reading (pp. 131-133), we are presented with an
account of a young man’s experiences and disappointments as a player with a junior-level
hockey team.
(a) What specific things happened to Ramish, the young man, that led him to believe that
he was the object of racism or of racist attitudes and behaviour?
(b) Could these experiences, and the behaviour of his teammates, be explained in terms of
something other than racism?
(c) However, if we explain them in terms of racism, we have to take account of racism at
different levels, according to James. What are these levels? (Pp. 131-133)
(d) On page 134, Carl James provides us with an explanation of ethnocentrism. We first
encountered the term in reference to Charles Mair’s comments about aboriginal people in
the first Imaginary Indian reading (pages 3-4). Return to Reading 1 and use James’
description of ethnocentrism to assess Mair’s evaluation of the Beaver and Métis people
he met in northern Alberta. Ethnocentrism - as a certain kind of outlook on other cultural
groups - involves judgment-making, in particular terms, about our own cultural values
and practices. If we are being ethnocentric, in what specific terms do we judge our own
values and practices?
(e) What are the elements of prejudice, according to James. What is the difference
between prejudice and bias? (Pp. 134-35).
2. (a) On pages 136-143, C. James explains racism, drawing on a number of different
definitions and conceptions. Organize his explanation of racism by dividing it into the
following components: (pp. 133-134 up to “Racism operates”) (2 students)
i) How: How does racism work at the cognitive level (at the level of thought and
reasoning?)
How does racism work or express itself in the real world?
ii) What: What is the nature of the evaluations and assessments that racism makes
about human groups?
What criteria are used in making these evaluations and assessments?
iii) Who: Who are the targets or objects of racist thinking or racism?
iv) Where: From where does racism emerge or originate? Where, in the social
world, does it find its support?
RQs5
KnA07, Aboud
(b) What term does James use to refer to groups constructed as races?
(c) What are the dimensions of racism? (Pp. 137 - 138)
(d) Identify and explain what James calls the “other types” of racism. (p. 138 last
paragraph)
(e) What do ethnocentrism, prejudice and racism have in common? (p. 139)
3. (a) Stereotypes and stereotyping
What two types of knowledge about cultural groups (ethnic and racialized groups) does
James compare and contrast in his discussion of stereotypes (p. 143). James says that
stereotypes fulfill two functions in people’s outlook and attitude towards cultural
difference. What are these functions? (p. 143-44)
(b) Discrimination
What is discrimination and what are the four types of discrimination identified by James?
Provide examples of each. (Pp. 147-50)
4. How can stereotypes be undermined, according to James? (Pp. 156-57, section
entitled “Seeing beyond stereotypes”). What should we be doing as individuals to
combat racism and discrimination? Are efforts at the individual level sufficient to
eliminate racism? Why? (Pp. 159-163, section entitled “Eliminating racism and
discrimination”). In light of James’ comments about eliminating racism, discuss the
example of Darryl Davis from the film Understanding Race (Davis is the AfricanAmerican musician/performer who collected the robes of former members of the KKK).
5. Debate: “Racial and ethnic jokes and humour: where to draw the line?”
On pages 152-53, James discusses briefly the question of racial jokes. In the film
“Understanding Race”, viewed early in the term, the filmmakers included a segment
entitled “Race is Funny” in which some thoughts were offered about the use of ‘race’ and
racial stereotypes in humour. Using these sources as a starting point, two teams of two
students each will debate the question of racial/ethnic jokes and humour, addressing,
specifically, the problem of where we should “draw the line” on this type of humour.
One team will argue that the line should be drawn very close to the zero baseline (i.e. that
there should be very little scope, or no scope at all, for these types of jokes). The other
team will argue that the line should be drawn at a considerable distance from zero— in
other words, that the scope for racial/ethnic jokes and humour should be as wide as
possible. So each team, with the help of the teacher, will have to prepare some strong
arguments for its side of the debate.
One or two other students will write up and present an assessment of the two sides,
commenting on where they felt arguments fell short and where they were strong and
convincing and why.
RQs5
KnA07, Aboud