Sociology chapter 8

a pattern of relations between ethnic or racial groups in which the minority group is absorbed into the mainstream or dominant group, making society more homogenous

Assiimilation

Racial and ethnic differences create intergroup conflict-minority and majority groups have different interests and may find themselves at odds as they attempt to secure and protect their interests. Some members of majority groups object to affirmative action programs that assist underrepresented groups. This can create conflict between racial groups in society.

Conflict theory approach to race and ethnicity

the process by which racial or ethnic groups are absorbed into the dominant group by adopting the dominant group's culture

Cultural assimilation

informal cultural norms that enforce racial separation

De facto segrigation

laws that systematically enforce physical and social separation of minorities from public life

De jure segrigation

unequal treatment of individuals based on their membership in a social group; usually motivated by prejudice

Discrimination

W.E.B Dubois's term for the divided identity by blacks in America

Double-consciousness

those elements of identity that are generated through others' perceptions of our physical traits

Embodied identity

a socially defined category based on common language, religion, nationality, history, or another cultural factor

Ethnicity

the deliberate and systematic extermination of a racial, ethnic, national, or cultural group

Genocide

a system of beliefs/knowledge that justify particular social arrangements, including patterns of inequality

Ideology

discrimination carried out by one person against another

Individual discrimination

discrimination carried out systematically by institutions (political, economic, educational, and others) that affect all members of a group who come into contact with it

Institutional discrimination

the economic and political subjugation of the minority group by the dominant group within a nation

Internal colonialism

romantic, sexual, or marital relationships between people of different races

Miscegenation

presenting yourself as a member of a different racial or ethnic group than the one you were born into

Passing

a cultural pattern of intergroup relations that encourages racial and ethnic variation and acceptance within society

Pluralism/multi-culturalism

the forcible removal of a group of people from the territory they have occupied

Population transfer

an idea about the characteristics of a group that is applied to all members of that group and is unlikely to change regardless of the evidence against it

Prejudice

a socially defined category based on real or perceived biological differences between groups of people

Race

the process by which racial minority groups are absorbed into the dominant group through intermarriage

Racial assimilation

the hierarchical distribution of social and economic resources according to race or ethnicity based on (perceived) biological characteristics (race) and social construction of ethnicity (ethnicity)

Racial/ethnic stratification

a set of beliefs about the superiority of one racial or ethnic group; used to justify inequality and often rooted in the assumption that differences between groups are genetic

Racism

a person or group that is capable of offering resistance to the hostility or agression of others. They are convenient and less feared targets on which to place blame for one's own troubles, frustrations, failures, or sense of guilt

Scapegoat

the physical and legal separation of groups by race or ethnicity

Segregation

an ethnic identity that can be either displayed or concealed depending on its usefulness in a given situation

Situational ethnicity

measures prejudice by determining the extent to which people are willing to interact and establish relationships with members of racial and ethnic categories other than their own

Social distance

overgeneralized beliefs about the appearance, behavior, or other characteristics of members of particular categories

Stereotypes

Racial and ethnic differences are a necessary part of society. Even racial inequality has functions that help maintain social order. The functions of racial inequality and conflict for society could include the creation of social cohesion within both the dominant and minority groups.

Structural functionalism approach to race and ethnicity

an ethnic identity that is only relevant on specific occasions and does not significantly impact everyday life

Symbolic ethnicity

Race and ethnicity are part of our identity as displayed through our presentation of self. Some individuals have the option to conceal their race or ethnicity in situations where it might be advantageous to do so. This may allow them as individuals to escape the effects of racial inequality, but does not erase it from society in large.

Symbolic interactionalism approach to race and ethnicity