c h a p t er
8
Race and Ethnicity
Sociology Now
1st Edition (Brief)
Kimmel/Aronson
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Distinguishing Between Race
and Ethnicity
• race biological distinction
• ethnicity cultural distinction
– both are social constructions
– neither have basis in empirical fact
• What is Race?
– a biological distinction with no basis in any
empirical fact
– division based on cultural factors
– 18th century – physical attributes become
determining factors in “race”
“ . . . things that are perceived as real are real
in their consequences.”
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Distinguishing Between Race
and Ethnicity
• Biraciality and Multiraciality
– every human group has mixed
ancestry
– Miscegenation
• mulattos
• mestizos
– interracial romantic relationships are
still stigmatized
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Distinguishing Between Race
and Ethnicity
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009
Distinguishing Between Race
and Ethnicity
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The Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
• race and ethnicity
– allocation of goods and services
– legitimate social inequality
– identity
– “pride and prejudice”
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The Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
• Minority Groups
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Differential power
Identifiability
Ascribed status
Solidarity and group awareness
• “Majority” Groups
–
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semantics
whiteness as “standard”
light over dark within groups
How We Got White People
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The Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
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Prejudice
• Prejudice
– beliefs and attitudes
– prejudgment  social location
• Stereotypes
– oversimplified and exaggerated
generalizations
– cultural “explanations” of difference
have now replaced biological ones
– people seem to believe stereotypes
in light of the facts
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Prejudice
• Racism
– prejudice systematically applied to
groups
• overt racism
• subtle racism
– once race is superior
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Discrimination
Merton’s Typology
Prejudice?
Discriminates?
All-weather
bigots
Yes
Yes
Fair-weather
bigots
Yes
No
Fair-weather
liberals
No
Yes
All-weather
liberals
No
No
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Discrimination
• Institutional Discrimination
– most subtle and pervasive type
– deeply embedded in social institutions
– Fair Housing Act of 1968
• Segregation and Integration
– Segregation: physical separation
• “Separate but equal” (1896 Plessy vs.
Ferguson)
• Apartheid: South Africa
– Integration: physical intermingling
• Brown vs. Board of Ed. 1954
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Discrimination
• Affirmative Action or “Reverse
Discrimination”?
– affirmative action ensures fair treatment
– only 25 of all pending EOC cases are for reverse
discrimination
• Affirmative action abolished in college
admissions in CA, WA, and FL
• tokenism
• Hate Groups
– Know-Nothing Party
– Ku Klux Klan
– hate crimes continue to grow
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Discrimination
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Theories of Prejudice and
Discrimination
• primordial theory
– Innate conflict between in-groups and outgroups
• frustration-aggression theory
– Frustrated when goals are not met
– Aggression towards scapegoat
• conflict theory
– “divide and conquer”
• feminist theory
– Intersection of race and gender, sexual
orientation, social class, religion, age, and
ability status
• matrix of domination (Collins)
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Theories of Prejudice and
Discrimination
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Theories of Prejudice and
Discrimination
• Doing Something about It
– Exposure to people from other groups
• busing in the 1960s and 1970s
• contact alone does not diminish prejudice
– Awareness and desire to change prejudice
behavior patterns insufficient
– Prejudice as “self-fulfilling prophecy” (Allport)
• Discrimination as form of socialization
– Affect of “labeling” upon students of color
• “acting White”
• “acting like girls”
• Overcoming Prejudice
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Ethnic Groups in the United States
•
•
•
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•
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People from Europe
People from North America
People from Latin America
People from Sub-Saharan Africa
People from East and South Asia
People from Middle East
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Ethnic Groups in the United States
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Ethnic Groups in the United States
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Ethnic Groups in the United States
• Ethnicity and Conflict
– ethnicity is fluid and situational
– genocide
• Melting Pot (Assimilation) and
Multiculturalism (Pluralism)
– Abandon Cultural traditions
– Coexistence
• Bilingualism
– Non-legalized preference for English
• Race and Ethnicity in the 21st Century
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Ethnic Groups in the United States
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