Sociology Final Exam Chapter 11

Flourishing of Racism

Exploitive relations with conquered peoples European beliefs that white symbolized purity and black symbolized evil Belief that race was inherited and associated with superiority or inferiority

Functionalist-Theory

In the view of functionalism, racial and ethnic inequalities must have served an important function in order to exist as long as they have. Racism and discrimination do contribute positively, but only to the dominant group. Slavery was beneficial to slaveholders.

Racism

Is a type of prejudice that involves set beliefs about a specific racial group.

Conflict Theory

It examines the past and current struggles between the white ruling class and racial and ethnic minorities, noting conflicts rising when the dominant group was threatened by the minority group. In the late 19th century, the rising power of black Americans resulted in draconian Jim Crow laws that severely limited black political and social power.

Culture of Prejudice

It refers to the theory that prejudice is embedded in our culture. We are surrounded by popular images of stereotypes and casual expressions of racism and prejudice. Ex: speedy Gonzalez or Taco Bell's talking Chihuahua These images and thoughts have influenced our thought processes.

Stereotypes

Oversimplified ideas about groups of people.

Symbolic Interactionism

Race and ethnicity provide strong symbols as sources of identity. The symbols of race, not race itself, are what lead to racism. Herbert Blumer (1958) suggested that racial prejudice is formed through interactions between members of the dominant group.

Discrimination

Refers to actions toward them

White Privelege

Refers to the fact that dominant groups often accept their experience as the normative (and hence, superior) experience. Failure to recognize this "normality" as race-based is an example of a dominant group institutionalizing racism.

Prejudice

Refers to thoughts and feelings about those groups

Scape-goating( Dollard)

Suggests that the dominant group will displace their unfocused aggression onto a subordinate group- Hitler blaming the Jews for Germany's problems

Characteristics of Ethnic Groups

Unique cultural traits A sense of community A feeling of ethnocentrism Ascribed membership from birth Tendency to occupy a geographic area

Race

is a social construct that groups people together on the basis of a characteristic that societies have deemed as important.

Ethnicity

is a term that describes shared culture—the practices, values, and beliefs of a group.