Sociology Lesson 6

Sociologists measure the degree to which immigrants have assimilated to a new culture with four benchmarks:

- Socioeconomic status, spatial concentration, language assimilation, and intermarriage. - When faced with racial and ethnic discrimination, it can be difficult for new immigrants to fully assimilate. - Language assimilation, in particular, can be a formidable barrier, limiting employment and educational options and therefore constraining growth in socioeconomic status.

Pluralism

- characterized by mutual respect on the part of all cultures, both dominant and subordinate, creating a multicultural environment of acceptance. - represented by the ideal of the United States as a melting pot; a great mixture of different cultures where each culture retains its own identity and yet adds to the flavor of the whole.

Prejudiced nondiscriminators (timid bigots)

- reject the creed of equal opportunity but refrain from discrimination, primarily because they fear possible sanctions or being labeled as racists - those who hold racist beliefs but don't act on them

Islamophobia

A range of negative feelings toward Muslims and their religion that ranges from generalized intolerance to hatred

Pluralism

A state in which people of all races and ethnicities are distinct but have equal social standing

The Indian Removal Act of 1830

forced the relocation of any native tribes east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river

racial exogamy

marriage outside a person's core social unit

de facto segregation

segregation that occurs without laws but because of other factors.

Race

superficial physical differences that a particular society considers significant, while ethnicity describes shared culture.

Functionalist perspective of race and ethnicity

- the way racism is functional for the dominant group, for example, suggesting that racism morally justifies a racially unequal society. - racism can contribute positively to the functioning of society by strengthening bonds between in-groups members through the ostracism of out-group members. Consider how a community might increase solidarity by refusing to allow outsiders access. - Rose (1951) suggested that dysfunctions associated with racism include the failure to take advantage of talent in the subjugated group, and that society must divert from other purposes the time and effort needed to maintain artificially constructed racial boundaries.

Operation Wetback

A government program to roundup and deport as many as one million illegal Mexican migrant workers in the United States. The program was promoted in part by the Mexican government and reflected burgeoning concerns about non-European immigration to America.

National Origins Act of 1924

A law that severely restricted immigration by establishing a system of national quotas that blatantly discriminated against immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and virtually excluded Asians. The policy stayed in effect until the 1960s.

Middle Passage

A voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies

California Alien Land Law of 1913

Anti-Japanese legislation that prevented them from owning land. The law did not specifically refer to the Japanese, but it was clearly aimed at them, declaring unlawful the ownership of "real property" by "aliens ineligible to citizenship" and stipulating that aliens could not lease agricultural land for terms longer than three years. This caused many Japanese to organize their lives around 3 year leases by planting short term crops. The law was acknowledged to have racial intent and based on a concern for "race undesirability". The purpose of the law was to prevent the Japanese from staying and settling in large numbers. However, the Japanese were able to find some loopholes and were able to own land by leasing land under their American born children. They also operating their farms through land corporations and switched the land to their children's names when they came of age. As laws became stricter, the Japanese also entered unwritten arrangements with white landlords and leased the land while appearing to serve as a salaried manager

The first Asian immigrants to come to the United States in the mid-nineteenth century were :

Chinese immigrants, primarily men whose intention was to work for several years in order to earn incomes to support their families in China. Their main destination was the American West, where the Gold Rush was drawing people with its lure of abundant money. The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad was underway at this time, and the Central Pacific section hired thousands of migrant Chinese men to complete the laying of the rails.

Conflict perspective of race and ethnicity

Conflict theories are often applied to inequalities of gender, social class, education, race, and ethnicity. A conflict theory perspective of U.S. history would examine the numerous past and current struggles between the white ruling class and racial and ethnic minorities, noting specific conflicts that have arisen when the dominant group perceived a threat from the minority group.

Discrimination

Consists of actions against a group of people, can be based on age, religion, health, and other indicators

second-largest

Cuban Americans are the ______________ Hispanic subgroup, and their history is quite different from that of Mexican Americans. The main wave of Cuban immigration to the United States started after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959 and reached its crest with the Mariel boatlift in 1980. Castro's Cuban Revolution ushered in an era of communism that continues to this day. To avoid having their assets seized by the government, many wealthy and educated Cubans migrated north, generally to the Miami area.

Native American culture was further eroded by the establishment of :

Indian boarding schools in the late nineteenth century. These schools, run by both Christian missionaries and the United States government, had the express purpose of "civilizing" Native American children and assimilating them into white society. The boarding schools were located off-reservation to ensure that children were separated from their families and culture. Schools forced children to cut their hair, speak English, and practice Christianity. Physical and sexual abuses were rampant for decades; only in 1987 did the Bureau of Indian Affairs issue a policy on sexual abuse in boarding schools. Some scholars argue that many of the problems that Native Americans face today result from almost a century of mistreatment at these boarding schools.

Why did many Irish immigrants form tight communities segregated from their Anglo neighbors?

Irish immigrants, many of whom were very poor, were more of an underclass than the Germans. In Ireland, the English had oppressed the Irish for centuries, eradicating their language and culture and discriminating against their religion (Catholicism). Although the Irish had a larger population than the English, they were a subordinate group. This dynamic reached into the new world, where Anglo Americans saw Irish immigrants as a race apart: dirty, lacking ambition, and suitable for only the most menial jobs. In fact, Irish immigrants were subject to criticism identical to that with which the dominant group characterized African Americans.

The most recent large-scale Asian immigration came from :

Korea and Vietnam, largely took place during the second half of the twentieth century. While Korean immigration has been fairly gradual, Vietnamese immigration occurred primarily post-1975, after the fall of Saigon and the establishment of restrictive communist policies in Vietnam. Whereas many Asian immigrants came to the United States to seek better economic opportunities, Vietnamese immigrants came as political refugees, seeking asylum from harsh conditions in their homeland. The Refugee Act of 1980 helped them to find a place to settle in the United States.

largest, oldest

Mexican Americans form the ________ Hispanic subgroup and also the _______. Mexican migration to the United States started in the early 1900s in response to the need for cheap agricultural labor. Mexican migration was often circular; workers would stay for a few years and then go back to Mexico with more money than they could have made in their country of origin. The length of Mexico's shared border with the United States has made immigration easier than for many other immigrant groups.

Relations between Arab Americans and the dominant majority have been marked by :

Mistrust, misinformation, and deeply entrenched beliefs. Helen Samhan of the Arab American Institute suggests that Arab-Israeli conflicts in the 1970s contributed significantly to cultural and political anti-Arab sentiment in the United States. The United States has historically supported the State of Israel, while some Middle Eastern countries deny the existence of the Israeli state. Disputes over these issues have involved Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine.

Explain the concept of the "social construction of race."

Objective 1

Discuss the concepts of minority group, subordinate group and dominate group.

Objective 2

Explain the difference between prejudice and discrimination.

Objective 3

Define and discuss the concept stereotypes and where they come from.

Objective 4

Describe genocide in historical and current contexts.

Objective 5

Identify and describe examples of institutional racism.

Objective 6

Stereotypes

Oversimplified generalizations about groups of people based on race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation—almost any characteristic. They may be positive (usually about one's own group, such as when women suggest they are less likely to complain about physical pain) but are often negative (usually toward other groups, such as when members of a dominant racial group suggest that a subordinate racial group is stupid or lazy). It is a generalization that doesn't take individual differences into account.

Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

Passed in 1986, it was an update of the 1965 Immigration Act and outlawed the hiring of undocumented immigrants, but offered legal status to aliens who had lived in the U.S. for five years. Debates over immigration policy persisted, however, as did efforts to tighten U.S. border controls. The rise of illegal one-way immigration of Mexicans is a direct outcome of the law that was intended to reduce it.

symbolic interactionist perspective of race and ethnicity

Race and ethnicity provide strong symbols as sources of identity. In fact, some interactionists propose that the symbols of race, not race itself, are what lead to racism. Famed Interactionist Herbert Blumer (1958) suggested that racial prejudice is formed through interactions between members of the dominant group: Without these interactions, individuals in the dominant group would not hold racist views. These interactions contribute to an abstract picture of the subordinate group that allows the dominant group to support its view of the subordinate group, and thus maintains the status quo.

intersection theory (Feminist sociologist Patricia Hill Collins)

Suggests we cannot separate the effects of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and other attributes. When we examine race and how it can bring us both advantages and disadvantages, it is important to acknowledge that the way we experience race is shaped, for example, by our gender and class. Multiple layers of disadvantage intersect to create the way we experience race.

Race is fundamentally a social construct. Ethnicity is a term that describes shared culture and national origin. Minority groups are defined by their lack of power.

Summary 6.1

Stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about groups of people. Prejudice refers to thoughts and feelings, while discrimination refers to actions. Racism refers to the belief that one race is inherently superior or inferior to other races.

Summary 6.2

Intergroup relations range from a tolerant approach of pluralism to intolerance as severe as genocide. In pluralism, groups retain their own identity. In assimilation, groups conform to the identity of the dominant group. In amalgamation, groups combine to form a new group identity.

Summary 6.4

The history of the U.S. people contains an infinite variety of experiences that sociologist understand follow patterns. From the indigenous people who first inhabited these lands to the waves of immigrants over the past 500 years, migration is an experience with many shared characteristics. Most groups have experienced various degrees of prejudice and discrimination as they have gone through the process of assimilation.

Summary 6.5

Genocide

The deliberate annihilation of a targeted (usually subordinate) group, is the most toxic intergroup relationship. Historically, we can see that genocide has included both the intent to exterminate a group and the function of exterminating of a group, intentional or not.

Japanese Internment Camps

The forcible relocation of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans to housing facilities called "War Relocation Camps", in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.

Colorism

Type of prejudice where someone believes one type of skin tone is superior or inferior to another within a racial group. Studies suggest that darker skinned African Americans experience more discrimination than lighter skinned African Americans. If a white employer believes a black employee with a darker skin tone is less capable than a black employer with lighter skin tone, that is ___________.

racism

While prejudice is not necessarily specific to race, ___________ is a stronger type of prejudice used to justify the belief that one racial category is somehow superior or inferior to others; it is also a set of practices used by a racial majority to disadvantage a racial minority.

dominant group

a group of people who have more power and privileges in a society than any of the subordinate groups

subordinate group

a group whose members, because of physical or cultural characteristics, are disadvantaged and subjected to unequal treatment and discrimination by the dominant group

examples of intolerant intergroup relations

amalgamation expulsion genocide

Minority groups

any group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.

miscegenation

biological reproduction by partners of different racial categories

Assimilation

describes the process by which a minority individual or group gives up its own identity by taking on the characteristics of the dominant culture.

Scapegoat theory

dominant group will displace its unfocused aggression onto a subordinate group. History has shown us many examples of the scapegoating of a subordinate group. Like the way Adolf Hitler was able to blame the Jewish population for Germany's social and economic problems.

The Indian Appropriation Acts

funded further removals and declared that no Indian tribe could be recognized as an independent nation, tribe, or power with which the U.S. government would have to make treaties. This made it even easier for the U.S. government to take land it wanted.

Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968

guaranteed Indian tribes most of the rights of the United States Bill of Rights

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

law that changed the national quota system to limits of 170,000 immigrants per year from the Eastern Hemisphere and 120,000 per year from the Western Hemisphere

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

law that suspended Chinese immigration into America. The ban was supposed to last 10 years, but it was expanded several times and was essentially in effect until WWII. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first significant law that restricted immigration into the United States of an ethnic working group. Extreme example of nativism of period

Unprejudiced nondiscriminators

open-minded, tolerant, and accepting individuals

Expulsion

refers to a subordinate group being forced, by a dominant group, to leave a certain area or country. As seen in the examples of the Trail of Tears and the Holocaust, expulsion can be a factor in genocide. However, it can also stand on its own as a destructive group interaction. ___________ has often occurred historically with an ethnic or racial basis.

Segregation

refers to the physical separation of two groups, particularly in residence, but also in workplace and social functions.

Institutional racism

refers to the way in which racism is embedded in the fabric of society. For example, the disproportionate number of black men arrested, charged, and convicted of crimes reflects racial profiling, a form of institutional racism.

Intergroup relations

relationships between different groups of people

Ethnicity

shared culture, which may include heritage, language, religion, and more

the major cause of Native American death was :

the introduction of European diseases and Indians' lack of immunity to them. Smallpox, diphtheria, and measles flourished among indigenous American tribes who had no exposure to the diseases and no ability to fight them. Quite simply, these diseases decimated the tribes. How planned this genocide was remains a topic of contention. Some argue that the spread of disease was an unintended effect of conquest, while others believe it was intentional citing rumors of smallpox-infected blankets being distributed as "gifts" to tribes.

The first Arab immigrants came to this country in :

the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They were predominantly Syrian, Lebanese, and Jordanian Christians, and they came to escape persecution and to make a better life. These early immigrants and their descendants, represent almost half of the Arab American population today (Myers, 2007). Restrictive immigration policies from the 1920s until 1965 curtailed all immigration, but Arab immigration since 1965 has been steady.

Amalgamation (Melting Pot)

the process by which a minority group and a majority group combine to form a new group. Amalgamation creates the classic "melting pot" analogy; unlike the "salad bowl," in which each culture retains its individuality, the "melting pot" ideal sees the combination of cultures that results in a new culture entirely. - can be achieved through intermarriage between races.

Culture of prejudice

the theory that prejudice is embedded in our culture. We grow up surrounded by images of stereotypes and casual expressions of racism and prejudice. Consider the casually racist imagery on grocery store shelves or the stereotypes that fill popular movies and advertisements.

prejudiced discriminators (active bigots)

- People who reject the notion of equal opportunity and profess a right, even a duty, to discriminate. They express with deep conviction that anyone from the in-group is superior to any members of the out-group. - Those who actively make disparaging remarks about others or who perpetuate hate crimes.

Unprejudiced discriminators

- may have no personal prejudice but still engage in discriminatory behavior because of peer-group pressure or economic, political, or social interests - those who hold racist beliefs but don't act on them, such as a racist store owner who serves minority customers.

a minority group is distinguished by five characteristics:

1. unequal treatment and less power over their lives 2. distinguishing physical or cultural traits like skin color or language 3. involuntary membership in the group 4. awareness of subordination 5. high rate of in-group marriage. Additional examples of minority groups might include the LBGT community, religious practitioners whose faith is not widely practiced where they live, and people with disabilities.

Japanese immigration began in the :

1880s, on the heels of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Many Japanese immigrants came to Hawaii to participate in the sugar industry; others came to the mainland, especially to California. Unlike the Chinese, however, the Japanese had a strong government that negotiated with the U.S. government to ensure the well-being of their immigrants. Japanese men were able to bring their wives and families to the United States, and were thus able to produce second- and third-generation Japanese Americans more quickly than their Chinese counterparts.

The eradication of Native American culture continued until the :

1960s, when Native Americans were able to participate in and benefit from the civil rights movement.

Driving while black/brown

Race used as cue for vehicle stops by police Victims of racial profiling often black (hence the term DWB) But also affects other racialized minority groups: Aboriginal, Asian, Arab/Muslim, Latino

wet foot dry foot policy

Refers to government policy which generally allows Cuban nationals who manage to reach the US ("dry foot") to remain while those picked up at sea ("wet foot") are sent back to Cuba

Prejudice

Refers to the beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes someone holds about a group. A prejudice is not based on experience; instead, it is a prejudgment, originating outside actual experience.

Functionalist views of race study the role dominant and subordinate groups play to create a stable social structure. Conflict theorists examine power disparities and struggles between various racial and ethnic groups. Interactionists see race and ethnicity as important sources of individual identity and social symbolism. The concept of culture of prejudice recognizes that all people are subject to stereotypes that are ingrained in their culture.

Summary 6.3

Institutional discrimination

occurs when a societal system has developed with embedded disenfranchisement of a group, such as the U.S. military's historical nonacceptance of minority sexualities (the "don't ask, don't tell" policy reflected this norm). ____________ can also include the promotion of a group's status, such in the case of white privilege, which is the benefits people receive simply by being part of the dominant group.

Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975

recognized tribal governments and gave them more power

The Dawes Act of 1887

reversed the policy of isolating Native Americans on reservations, instead forcing them onto individual properties that were intermingled with white settlers, thereby reducing their capacity for power as a group.

de jure segregation

segregation that is enforced by law A stark example of this is the apartheid movement of South Africa, which existed from 1948 to 1994. Under apartheid, black South Africans were stripped of their civil rights and forcibly relocated to areas that segregated them physically from their white compatriots. Only after decades of degradation, violent uprisings, and international advocacy was apartheid finally abolished.