Race and Racism: Some

Basic IdeasRoderick Graham

Rhode Island CollegeRace and Cyberspace

Social Construction• Essential to the

understanding of race and racism.

• How we see the world is produced, built, or constructed through social interaction

• This means that 1. How we see the world can

change2. Social phenomena have

different meanings for different people

You

Family

Peers

Mass Medi

a

School

Terminology(Categories)

• Race – socially constructed category of people who share phenotype

• Ethnicity – socially constructed category of people who share a heritage

Terminology(Categories)

• Social construction is a two step process

1. The boxes must be constructed

2. The contents of the box must be constructed

I have given you the boxes…what is in those

boxes?

? ?

? ?

Terminology(Beliefs)

• Stereotyping – simplified description applied to everyone in a category

• Prejudice – generalization about a category

• Racism – belief that one racial category is superior to another

Terminology(Processes)

• Discrimination – unequal treatment of a category

• Institutional discrimination – unequal treatment of a category in a society’s institutions

Categories and Processes

Construction of racial category

Beliefs about category

Actions because of this belief

• There is a self-reinforcing nature between these categories and processes

Categories and Processes

Construction of racial category

Beliefs about category

Actions because of this belief

1. The category black is constructed

2. The stereotype is constructed that all blacks are lazy

3. Employers do not hire blacks

Terminology(Types of Racism)

• Classical Racism – belief in the innate genetic

inferiority of a racial categoryo Some racial groups are less intelligent, and therefore need to be

treated differently under the law

• New Racism – belief in the cultural inferiority of

racial categoryo Some racial groups do not possess the proper cultural and moral

makeup to excel in western capitalist society

End