Chapter 10
Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Chapter Outline
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The Concept of Race
The Concept of Ethnic Group
Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Relations
Racial and Ethnic Immigration to the
United States
The Concept of Race
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Race refers to a category of people who
are similar because of physical
characteristics.
Races have been defined along genetic,
legal, and social lines, each presenting its
own set of problems.
Genetic Definitions of Race
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Differences in traits, such as hair and
nose type, have proved of no value in
making classifications of human beings.
Similarities appear to be far greater than
any physical differences including skin
color.
Legal Definitions
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There has been little consistency among the
legal definitions of race.
The state of Missouri made “one-eighth or
more Negro blood” the criterion for nonwhite
status.
As recently as 1982, a dispute arose over
Louisiana’s law requiring anyone of more than
1/32 African descent to be classified as black.
Question

The term race refers to a category of people
who are defined as similar because they:
A.
have a unique and distinctive genetic
makeup.
B.
share a number of physical
characteristics.
C. exhibit similar behaviors.
D. express comparable attitudes.
Answer: B

The term race refers to a category of
people who are defined as similar
because they share a number of
physical characteristics.
Social Definitions
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In the 2000 census people were able to
declare as members of any one or more
of five categories:
 American Indian/Alaskan Native
 Asian
 African-American
 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
 White
Question

To what extent do you agree with this
statement: “Whites as a group are very
distinct and different from ethnic and racial
minority groups.”
A.
Strongly agree
B.
Agree somewhat
C. Unsure
D. Disagree somewhat
E.
Strongly disagree
Facts about Racial Intermarriage
There are over 3 million racial intermarriages a year in the
United States.
Racial intermarriages represent 5.4% of all married
couples. This is up from 1% in 1970
The most common types of intermarriages are between
white men and Asian or multiple-race women.
Intermarriage between minority racial groups is much less
likely.
The least common type of intermarriage is between white
and blacks.
Facts about Racial Intermarriage
People who intermarry are younger and better
educated than average couples.
Three million children are growing up in interracial
families. This is up from 900,000 in 1970.
Black men are much more likely to intermarry than black
women. Ten percent of black men have a nonblack
spouse.
More than 10% of the married couples in Hawaii,
California, Oklahoma, Alaska, and Nevada were
interracial.
Question

I would like to marry someone of a
different racial or ethnic group.
A. Strongly agree
B. Agree somewhat
C. Unsure
D. Disagree somewhat
E. Strongly disagree
The Concept of Ethnic Group
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An ethnic group has a distinct cultural tradition
that its own members identify with and that may
not be recognized by others.
They adhere to customs, maintain similarity in
family patterns, religion, and cultural values.
They often possess distinct folkways and
mores; customs of dress, art, and
ornamentation; moral and value systems; and
patterns of recreation.
The group is usually devoted to a monarch,
religion, language, or territory.
The Concept of Minority
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Louis Wirth’s definition of a minority:
 A group of people who, because of
physical or cultural characteristics, are
singled out from others in society for
differential and unequal treatment, and
who therefore regard themselves as
objects of collective discrimination.
Question

Which of the following would qualify as a
minority group in U.S. society according
to the sociological definition of the term?
A. homosexuals
B. the elderly
C. people with disabilities
D. all of these choices are correct
Answer: D
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Homosexuals, the elderly and people
with disabilities would qualify as a
minority group in U.S. society according
to the sociological definition of the term.
Prejudice
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An irrationally based negative, or
occasionally positive, attitude toward
certain groups and their members.
Discrimination
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Differential treatment, usually unequal
and injurious, accorded to individuals who
are assumed to belong to a particular
category or group.
Institutionalized Prejudice
and Discrimination
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Complex societal arrangements that
restrict the life chances and choices of a
specifically defined group, in comparison
with those of the dominant group.
The Interaction of Prejudice and
Discrimination
Question

The problems of racial prejudice and
discrimination in U.S. society are over
stated.
A. Strongly agree
B. Agree somewhat
C. Unsure
D. Disagree somewhat
E. Strongly disagree
Social Functions of Prejudice
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A prejudice helps draw together those
who hold it.
When two or more groups are competing
for access to scarce resources it is easier
to write off competitors as unworthy.
Prejudice allows us to project onto others
those parts of ourselves that we do not
like and therefore try to avoid facing.
Merton’s Classifications of
Prejudice and Discrimination
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Unprejudiced Nondiscriminators
 Not prejudiced against other
groups and do not practice
discrimination.
Unprejudiced discriminators
 Free from racial prejudice, but will
keep silent when bigots speak out.
Merton’s Classifications of
Prejudice and Discrimination
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Prejudiced Nondiscriminators
 Hesitate to express their prejudices
when in the presence of those who are
tolerant.
Prejudiced discriminators
 Do not believe in equality, and do not
hesitate to give free expression to their
intolerance.
Question

Stan is the manager of an apartment building.
He has a strong prejudice against anyone who
is Asian. However, he has rented to several
people who have an Asian heritage rather than
risk violating fair housing laws. According to
Merton's typology, Stan would be a(n):
A. unprejudiced nondiscriminator.
B. unprejudiced discriminator.
C. prejudiced nondiscriminator.
D. prejudiced discriminator.
Answer: C
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Stan would be a prejudiced
nondiscriminator.
Patterns of Racial and Ethnic
Relations
1.
2.
3.
Assimilation - groups with different
cultures come to have a common culture.
Pluralism - development and coexistence
of separate racial and ethnic group
identities within a society.
Subjugation – subordination of one group
and the assumption of of authority,
power, and domination by the other.
Patterns of Racial and Ethnic
Relations
4.
5.
6.
Segregation - a form of subjugation,
refers to the act, process, or state of
being set apart.
Expulsion - forcing a group to leave the
territory in which it resides.
Annihilation - deliberate extermination of
a racial or ethnic group.
Pluralism
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The coexistence of separate racial and
ethnic group identities within a society.
Horace Kallen, born in Germany, was
responsible for the development of the
theory of cultural pluralism.
Question
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The process through which different
cultures merge to have one common
culture is:
A. pluralism.
B. assimilation.
C. subjugation.
D. expulsion.
Answer: B
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The process through which different
cultures merge to have one common
culture is assimilation.
Immigration Today
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In 2000:
53.3% of the foreign-born population were
from Latin America, 25% from Asia and
13.7% from Europe.
Latin America and Asia accounted for
78.2% of the foreign-born population, up
from 28.3% percent in 1970.
Where Do Immigrants Come
From?
Racial and Ethnic Makeup of
U.S. Population, 2000 and 2050
Cities With Large Hispanic
Populations, 2000
Place and State % Hispanic of Total Population
El Paso, TX
76.6
San Antonio, TX
58.7
Los Angeles, CA
46.5
Houston, TX
37.4
Dallas, TX
35.6
Cities With Large Hispanic
Populations, 2000
Place and State
Phoenix, AZ
San Jose, CA
New York, NY
Chicago, IL
San Diego, CA
% Hispanic of Total Population
34.1
30.2
27.0
26
25.4
Quick Quiz
1. A group of people who are singled out
for differential treatment is called:
A. a minority group.
B. a race.
C. an ethnic group.
D. a subordinate group.
Answer: A
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A group of people who are singled out for
differential treatment is called a minority
group.
2. An irrationally based negative, or
occasionally positive, attitude toward
certain groups and their members is:
A. discrimination.
B. prejudice.
C. dysfunctional attitudes.
D. bigotry.
Answer: B
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An irrationally based negative, or
occasionally positive, attitude toward
certain groups and their members is
prejudice.
3. Discrimination is best described as:
A. differential treatment that is usually
unequal and injurious.
B. a rational negative attitude towards a
minority group.
C. societal arrangements that restrict life
chances of the dominant group.
D. societal arrangements that restrict life
chances of the minority group.
Answer: A
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Discrimination is best described as
differential treatment that is usually
unequal and injurious.
4. Which of the following is a negative
function of prejudice?
A. Prejudice draws together those
who hold it.
B. Prejudice allows us to project onto
others the parts of ourselves we do
not like.
C. Prejudice limits our vision of the
world around us.
D. All of the choices are correct.
Answer: C
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A negative function of prejudice is that it
limits our vision of the world around
us.
5. A group that has a distinct cultural
tradition with which its own members
identify and which may or may not be
recognized by others is known as a(n):
A. subculture.
B. race.
C. minority.
D. ethnic group.
Answer: D

A group that has a distinct cultural
tradition with which its own members
identify and which may or may not be
recognized by others is known as an
ethnic group.