Unit 3- Ch. 8

What is a minority group?

A minority group is a social group that is systematically denied access to power and resources available to the dominant groups of a society. Minority does NOT mean numerically inferior in this context.

Who are antiracist allies?

Antiracist allies are whites who work alongside POC to end racial injustice.

What is the connection between family and race?

Black and Hispanic children are significantly more likely to live in single parent homes, especially blacks, since they are more likely than whites and Hispanics to never marry. Black and Hispanic female teenagers are more likely to have children than white female teenagers.

What is color-blind racism?

Color-blind racism is a modern ideology that removes race as an explanation for any form of unequal treatment.

Why is color-blind racism dangerous?

Color-blind racism makes the more modern day, subtle forms of racism difficult to acknowledge and address productively. Color-blind racism implies that race should be both invisible and inconsequential, which is incorrect, since racism does still exist and race does matter.

What is critical race theory?

Critical race theory is an outgrowth of conflict theory developed by 1980s legal scholars around the issues of race, politics, and power that states that racism permeates our social institutions, especially our judicial system, and must be recognized and addressed as such through focusing on approaches like intersectionality.

What is cultural assimilation?

Cultural assimilation is when racial or ethnic groups are absorbed into the dominant group by adopting the dominant group's culture.

What is discrimination?

Discrimination is an action of unequal treatment of individuals because of their social group that is usually motivated by prejudice, but not always.

What is double-consciousness?

Double-consciousness is a term coined by W.E.B. DuBois that explains the divided identity experienced by blacks in the USA.

How is ethnicity defined?

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

What is implicit bias?

Implicit bias is the phenomenon of unrecognized or unconscious prejudices and stereotypes that shape our interactions with others.

What is the difference between individual and institutional discrimination?

Individual discrimination is carried out by one person against another, whereas institutional discrimination is systematic discrimination carried out by social institutions against all members of a group that come into contact with it.

Why is institutional discrimination more difficult to address compared to individual discrimination?

Institutional discrimination is often more difficult to observe and address because it might be embedded in the policies, rules, traditions, or beliefs of the institution, rather than just one person.

What is the connection between race and intermarriage?

Intermarriage is more common among non-white groups, but especially prevalent in Asian women and not in black women. Interracial marriage is more common among those who are college educated.

What is the connection between health care and race?

Members of minority groups are more likely to have disparate access to healthcare and lower life expectancies as a result.

What are microaggressions?

Microaggressions are everyday verbal and nonverbal communications that are denigrating or dismissive, even those that on the surface may seem complimentary.

Are prejudice and discrimination the same as racism?

No, prejudice and discrimination can be vehicles for racism though if there is a feeling of superiority connected to the prejudice or discriminatory act.

What is the connection between race and work and income?

POC are more likely to have lower-paying jobs, which may be in part due to unequal access to quality education. Further, lack of higher wages may make it harder for POC to have access to quality insurance/healthcare. Significantly more blacks and Hispanics live below the poverty line compared to whites.

What is the connection between race and criminal justice?

POC are more likely to interact with law enforcement (could be explained by structural issues such as racial profiling with criminal justice too).

What is pluralism/multiculturalism?

Pluralism is a pattern of intergroup relations that tolerate and encourage racial and ethnic variation within a society.

What is prejudice?

Prejudice is literally a pre-judgement, usually negative, about the characteristics of a group and applied to all members of that group. Prejudices are unlikely to change regardless of evidence against it and can either be from or against either the minority or majority group.

What is the alternative to color-blind racism?

Race consciousness is the alternative to color-blind racism and involves an awareness of the importance of race in our everyday lives and in our dealings with social institutions.

How is race defined to a sociologist?

Race is a socially defined category based on real or perceived biological differences between groups of people. Sociologists reject the notion that race has an objective or scientific meaning and instead seek to understand why race continues to play such a critical role in society via theories about the connections among race, discrimination, and social inequality.

What is racial assimilation?

Racial assimilation is when racial minority groups are absorbed into the dominant group through intermarriage.

What is racial passing?

Racial passing is living as if one is a member of a different racial category. This is done by altering our embodied identity.

What is racism?

Racism is a set of beliefs about the claimed superiority of one racial or ethnic group and is used to justify inequality. Racism is often rooted in the assumption that differences between groups are genetic or arise from a negative view of a group's cultural characteristics.

What is reverse racism?

Reverse racism is the claim by whites that they are discriminated against due to their race. In reality, discrimination against white people due to their race is just discrimination, and if there is a feeling of superiority involved, it is just racism.

What is a key difference between symbolic and situational ethnicity?

Situational ethnicity involves a cost-benefit analysis that symbolic ethnicity does not.

What is situational ethnicity?

Situational ethnicity is an ethnic identity that can be either displayed or concealed, depending on its usefulness in a given situation.

Why do sociologists see race and ethnicity as socially constructed?

Sociologists understand that race is not based on biology, racial categories change over time, and racial categories never have firm boundries.

What is symbolic ethnicity?

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

What is the conflict theorist view on race and racism?

The conflict theorist focuses on the struggle for power and control over scarce resources between the groups created by differing racial and ethnic qualities, as these groups may have different interests and may find themselves at odds as they attempt to secure and protect them.

What is the connection between race and education?

The highest high school dropout rates are associated with those from economically disadvantaged and non-English-speaking backgrounds (could be explained by structural issues of education). Asians and whites are more likely to have bachelor's degrees than blacks and Hispanics (could partially be due to stereotype threat/promise as well).

What is the structural functionalist view on race and racism?

The structural functionalist argues that race creates social ties and strengthens group bonds but acknowledges that such ties can lead to violence and social conflict between groups.

What is the symbolic interactionist view on race and racism?

The symbolic interactionalist focuses on the ways that race, class, and gender intersect (intersectionality) to produce an individual's identity and is established through interaction with other members of society through appraisal of our biological features. In other words, race and ethnicity are part of our presentation of self.

What is white nationalism?

White nationalism is the belief that the nation should reflect a white identity in religions, politics, economics, and culture.

What is white privilege?

White privilege involves unearned advantage for dominant group members.