UNDERSTANDING RACE UNDERSTANDING RACE AND ETHNICITYAND ETHNICITY

CHAPTER 1

SOCIOLOGY OF INTERGROUP SOCIOLOGY OF INTERGROUP RELATIONSRELATIONS

• THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVESTHEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES• FunctionalismFunctionalism• Conflict TheoryConflict Theory• Labeling TheoryLabeling Theory

• Subordinate groups created by processes of:• Immigration• Annexation• Colonialism

• Process of expulsion may remove the presence of a subordinate group

• ASSIMILATIONASSIMILATION

• Demands subordinate-group conformityDemands subordinate-group conformity• PLURALISMPLURALISM

• Implies mutual respect between diverse Implies mutual respect between diverse groupsgroups

• Assimilation and pluralism are significant for racial and ethnic oppression in the US today

What is a Subordinate group?What is a Subordinate group?• What does and does not determine minority

group status?• Minority status is not based on the size of a

group• Minority/Majority group membership is not

necessarily mutually exclusive• Minority status may vary according to

geopolitical boundaries• Minority/Majority is related to the

distribution of power

• What are the five characteristics that defines a minority/subordinate group? • 1. Unequal treatment and less power over one’s

life• 2. Distinguishing physical or cultural traits that

the dominant group holds in low regard• 3. Involuntary membership or ascribed status• 4. Group solidarity awareness of subordinate

status and oppression• 5. Marital endogamy - patterns of in-group

marriage

Types of Subordinate GroupsTypes of Subordinate Groups• Racial groups - are groups that are set apart on the

basis of obvious physical differences within a society • What is obvious is relative to the group or society

• Ethnic groups - are groups that are set apart on the basis of cultural traits and nationality

• Religious groups - consists of religious associations that are set apart from the dominant religion

• Gender groups - such as women who are set apart on the basis of sex

• Other subordinate groups - are those that are set apart on the basis of age, disability or sexual orientation

Does Race Matter?Does Race Matter?• Biological school of thought and meaning of

race• Racial groups as genetically discrete

population groups are based on the following:

• There are subpopulations within the human race

• That one sub-group may be distinguished biologically from another on the basis of genetic traits

Criticisms of the Biological ViewCriticisms of the Biological View• Idea of Biological Race is based on mistaken Idea of Biological Race is based on mistaken

notion of a genetically isolated human groupnotion of a genetically isolated human group• Genetic traits are continuous so it is

impossible to state where one group begins and ends and another starts

• Within group, variations are greater than differences between groups

• Each trait is independent from the other• Human species contain no subgroups

Social Construction of RaceSocial Construction of Race• Race is important because of the social meaning

people have attached to it• Race is a social construct based on how people

define themselves and others on physical and social characteristics

• Racial classifications are a function of how people define, label and categorize themselves and others into groups

• RacismRacism• The feeling that certain groups or races are inherently

superior to others

Racial FormationRacial Formation• A socio-historical process by which racial

categories are created, inhibited, transformed, and destroyed

• Powerful define groups of people in a way that depends on a racist social structure

• Dominant group has the power to impose its racial definitions onto others

• In Southern U.S., social construction was known as the “one-drop rule”

Stratification by Class and GenderStratification by Class and Gender• StratificationStratification

• The structured ranking of entire groups that perpetuates unequal rewards and power in a society

• Class or Social RankingClass or Social Ranking• People who share similar wealth, according to

Weber’s definition• Upward mobility may be difficult for subordinate

group members faced with lifelong prejudice and discrimination

Sociology and the Study of Sociology and the Study of Race and EthnicityRace and Ethnicity

• Ethnic and racial stratificationEthnic and racial stratification

• The structure and process by which race and ethnicity determines life chances and access to socially desirable resources such as housing, justice, education, wealth, power, etc.

• Stratification is interconnected by• Racial• Ethnic• Religious• Age• Gender

Theoretical PerspectivesTheoretical Perspectives• Functionalist PerspectiveFunctionalist Perspective

• society is like a living organism in which each part contributes to the whole and emphasizes how the parts of society are structured to maintain its stability

• The five functions of racial inequality• Racist ideologies provides justification for unequal treatment• Discourages subordinate people from attempting to question

their low status• Justify existing practices but also serves as a rallying point for

social movements• Racists beliefs provide support for the existing social order• Relieve the dominant group of responsibility to address the

economic and educational problems faced by subordinate groups

• Dysfunctions of racial inequalityDysfunctions of racial inequality• Fail to utilize all human potential and limits the search for

talent and leadership to the dominant group• Aggravates social problems and places the financial

burden of alleviating those problems on the dominant group

• Investment of time and money to defend barriers that prevent full participation of all

• Undermines diplomatic ties between nations and affect efforts to increase global trade

• Inhibits social change because this may assist a subordinate group

• Promotes disrespect for law enforcement and the peaceful settlements of disputes

Conflict PerspectiveConflict Perspective• Assumes the social structure is best

understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups

• The subordinate group is criticized for its low status and the dominant’s group responsibility is often ignored

• Ryan (1976)• ““Blaming the Victim”Blaming the Victim” – portraying the problems of racial

and ethnic minorities as their fault rather than recognizing society’s responsibility

Labeling ApproachLabeling Approach• Related to the conflict perspective and its concern over Related to the conflict perspective and its concern over

blaming the victim and is titled labeling theoryblaming the victim and is titled labeling theory

• Labeling TheoryLabeling Theory• Concept introduced by Howard Becker

• Attempt to explain why certain people are viewed as deviant and others engaging in the same behavior are not

• Stereotypes• Unreliable generalizations about all members of a

group that do not take individual differences into account and is not limited to racial and ethnic groups

The Creation of The Creation of Subordinate-Group StatusSubordinate-Group Status

• Population Migration – 1Population Migration – 1stst Pattern Pattern• Emigration or leaving an area to move elsewhere

such as the Irish leaving Ireland• Immigration or coming into an area such as the

Irish coming to the United States.• Immigration may be voluntary or it may be

involuntary

• Populations usually migrate because of a combination of push and pull factors

• Annexation – 2Annexation – 2ndnd Pattern Pattern• An indigenous group is incorporated into

another society

• Colonialism – 3Colonialism – 3rdrd Pattern Pattern• The political, socio-cultural and economic

domination of an indigenous population by a foreign power

• Internal ColonialismInternal Colonialism• Relations between the colonizer and the colony

are similar to those between the dominant and subordinate people within the same country

The Consequences of Subordinate-The Consequences of Subordinate-Group StatusGroup Status

• GenocideGenocide• Systematic extermination of subordinate group at

the hands of the dominant group• ExterminationExtermination

• The forcing of a specific subordinate group to leave certain areas or even vacate a country

• SecessionSecession• A group ceases to be a subordinate group when it

secedes to form a new nation or moves to an established nation, where it becomes dominant

• SegregationSegregation• The physical separation of two groups in residence,

workplace, and social functions, generally imposed by the dominant group

• FusionFusion• Occurs when a minority and majority group combine to

form a new group

• AmalgamationAmalgamation• The process by which a dominant group and a

subordinate group combine through intermarriage

• Melting PotMelting Pot

• Diverse racial or ethnic groups form a new creation, a new cultural identity

• AssimilationAssimilation• The process by which a subordinate individual or group

takes on the characteristics of the dominant group and is eventually accepted as part of that group

• Five reasons assimilation would take longer:Five reasons assimilation would take longer:• Differences between minority and majority are large• Majority is not receptive or minority retains its culture• Minority group arrives over a short period of time• Minority group residents are concentrated rather than

dispersed• Arrival is recent and the homeland is accessible

The Pluralist PerspectiveThe Pluralist Perspective• PluralismPluralism

• Implies that various groups in a society have mutual respect for one another’s culture, a respect that allows minorities to express their own culture without prejudice or hostility

• BilingualismBilingualism• The use of two or more languages in places of

work or education with each language being treated as equally legitimate

Who Am I?Who Am I?• Ethnic Identity• Non-ethnics• Panethnicity• Ethnicity as a political and bureaucratic

administrative process• MarginalityMarginality

• The status of being between two cultures• DuBois “Double-Consciousness”“Double-Consciousness”

• Also caused by incomplete assimilation

Resistance and ChangeResistance and Change• Dominant group define the terms by which all

members of society operate• Continuing theme in dominant-subordinate

relations is the minority group’s challenge to its subordination

• Resistance is seen in efforts by racial and ethnic groups to maintain their identity through newspapers, organizations, and modern technology

• Resistance may begin through small actions that leads into a broader investigation

• Change is occurring• Hate-crime legislation• Afrocentric PerspectiveAfrocentric Perspective

• Emphasizes the customs of African Cultures and how they pervaded the history, culture, and behavior of Blacks in the U.S. and around the world

• In considering today’s inequalities, it is easy to forget how much change has taken place

QuestionsQuestions

• What are three examples of the Social Social Construction of raceConstruction of race in U.S. Culture?

• Describe the process of racial formationprocess of racial formation in America. How was it designeddesigned?

• What is the Function(alism) of racismFunction(alism) of racism in human society?

• Provide an example of the Conflict Conflict Perspective of racePerspective of race in human society.

• Besides racial groups, what other groups can be stereotypedstereotyped?

• Was there ever a genocidalgenocidal action in America? Describe how and against whom.

• Why is it difficult for racial minorities to assimilateassimilate in the dominant group of America?