Sociology Ch. 8

antiracist allies

whites & others working toward the goal of ending racial injustice

Schema

19th century biologists (1801-1900) grouped humans into 3 races: Negroid, Mongoloid, Caucasoid. corresponding roughly to black, Asian, white. it was believed each race was characterized by it's own biological makeup, separate & distinct from the others. modern scientists have advanced tools for examining race in sophisticated ways. they have found there are no "pure" races- the lines among races are blurry, not fixed: a person who looks white will inevitably have biological material from other races, as will someone who looks black. there is greater genetic diversity w/in racial populations than b/w them. ex w/in the Asian population, members differ more from eachother (Koreans from Chinese) than they do from whites. from a biological standpoint, the diff b/w someone w/ type O & type A blood is much more significant than differences b/w a dark & light skinned person. all humans are 99.9% genetically identical

double consciousness

DuBois devised this concept. he asked whether one could be black & at the same time claim their right as an American. given the history of oppression & enslavement of African Americans there are many social forces that disenfranchise & exclude minorities & the phenomenon of passing suggests in some places & times, it has been more advantageous to appear white if possible

forgotten genocide

From 1915 to 1923, during and after World War I, the Turkish government massacred 1.5 million Armenians in what is often referred to as the______ ______. also includes atrocities of Darfur to Slobodan Miloševič's ethnic cleansing in the Balkans and the Hutu slaughter of Tutsi in Rwanda, genocide has become a familiar feature of the modern landscape.

Assimilation

a pattern of relations b/w ethnic or racial groups in which the minority group is absorbed into the mainstream or dominant group, making society more homogeneous. the central idea behind America's "melting pot". on the surface it seems like a reasonable solution to the potential conflicts among diff groups. if everyone belongs to the same group, of the society is large homogeneous, then conflict will decrease

Colonialism

a policy whereby a stronger nation takes control of a weaker nation (the "colony") in order to extend the stronger nation's territory or to exploit the xolony's resources for the stronger nation's own enrichment. ex the British Empire once included distant countries of India Burma (now Myanmar), West Indies, South Africa, Australia, America

racism

a set of beliefs about the claimed superiority of one racial or ethnic group; used to justify inequality & often rooted in the assumption that differences among groups are genetic/biological/innate. used to justify unequal social arrangements between the dominant and minority groups. can also arise from a negative view of a group's cultural characteristics

stereotype threat

a social-psychological mechanism at play among minority college students that hinders their academic performance. negative racial stereotypes may adversely affect African American students when they are in highly demanding situations in which they might risk confirming those stereotypes. In competitive, high-stakes academic conditions (such as test-taking), stereotype threat can cause sufficient anxiety in those students to effectively harm their abilities. In less stressful situations, when no negative stereotypes are invoked, these students perform as well as peers of other races. this may help explain some of the achievement gap between racial groups.

race

a socially defined category based on real or perceived biological differences b/w groups of ppl. a social category. it is more meaningful to us on a social level than biological level

identity challenges

accusations that one is not "really" black or not black enough

Pluralism

aka multiculturalism. a cultural pattern of intergroup relations that encourages racial and ethnic variation and acceptance within a society. not only permits racial & ethnic variation w/in one society, it actually encourages diversity as a positive feature of society. the traditional inage of the melting pot is exchanged w/ a ''salad bowl'' in which all the diff ingredients maintain their distinct qualities, even as they are tossed together- more & more groups are celebrating their racial or ethnic roots

situational ethnicity

an ethnic identity that can be either displayed or concealed depending on its usefulness in a given situation. we deliberately assert our ethnicity in some situations while downplaying it in others. involves a kind of cost-benefit analysis that symbolic ethnicity does not: We need to appraise each situation to determine whether or not it favors our ethnicity. ex Dr. Ferris's Lebanese ancestry never mattered much, outside her own family, when she lived in Southern California. she felt she should downplay it b/c of the political climate in which Arabs were viewed w/ suspicion. She moved to Illinois & found a large population of Lebanese as well as civil leaders, her ethnicity then became a valuable asset

symbolic ethnicity

an ethnic identity that is only relevant on specific occasions and does not significantly impact everyday life. a way group membership is displayed. ex St. Patrick's Day, symbolic displays on Passover, Cinco de Mayo, Nowruz (Iranian New Year, aka Persian New Year)

prejudice

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. a "prejudgment," is an inflexible attitude (usually negative, although it can work in the reverse) about a particular group of people that is rooted in generalizations or stereotypes. ex "All Irish are drunks" or "All Mexicans are lazy." ______ ideas don't always flow from the dominant group toward minorities. it's possible for members of a minority group to hold negative stereotypes about the dominant group. It is also possible for minority group members to be ______ against themselves or their own group. ______ ideas circulate through culture, making them hard to avoid, even for those who would wish not to have them

race consciousness

an ideology that acknowledges race as a powerful social construct that shapes our individual and social experiences. an awareness of the importance of race in our everyday lives and in our dealings with social institutions. If we are to have a truly egalitarian society, we must recognize the historical record of racism and the social conditions that perpetuate contemporary inequalities.

color-blind racism

an ideology that removes race as an explanation for any form of unequal treatment. dismisses the factor of race from the equation of social inequality

Ethnicity

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

Pluralism/Multiculturalism

at the root of this is tolerance of racial & ethnic differences. ex Canada's population is diverse, composed of English & French languages, ethnic & racial minorities that include European, Chinese, Indian immigrants as well as "First Nations" (Canadian native ppls). the Canadian govt is committed to ideals of multiculturalism w/ great deal of funding directed to programs for improving race relations/encouraging multicultural harmony

minority

commonly thought of as a group that's smaller in number than the majority group. African Americans, Asians, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native Americans

individual discrimination

discrimination carried out by one person against another. ex A racist teacher might discriminate against a Hispanic student by assigning him a lower grade than he deserves

institutional 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

Microaggressions

everyday uses of subtle verbal & nonverbal communications that convey denigrating or dismissive messages to members of certain social groups. the small-scale racial slights, insults, and misperceptions that play out in everyday interactions between people. casual, and often unintentional, they still deliver a powerful message that serves to denigrate or marginalize others because of their group membership. ex "what are you?" "Where are you really from?" that are demands to know a person's racial, ethnic, or national identity and reveal the underlying assumptions of the questioner as well as the persistence of racial stereotypes in shaping how we see & perceive eachother

master status

membership in a minority group may serve as a kind of "_____ _____", overriding any other status, such as gender or age

Internalized Racism

minority group members being prejudiced against themselves or their own group

Passing

presenting yourself as a member of a different group than the stigmatized group you belong to. living as if you are a member of a diff racial category. has a long history in America: some light skinned African Americans attempted to live as whites in order to avoid consequences of being black in a racist society. ppl still _____ intentionally or unintentionally. involves manufacturing or maintaining a new identity that is more beneficial than one's real identity.

Conflict Theory

racial hierarchy w/ whites at the top, followed by Mexicans, then Blacks, Asians, Native Americans at bottom & white supremacy ideology became institutionalized. racial beliefs became part of political & economic life during 19th century. "manifest destiny" helped justify whites taking land & notion that Native Americans were uncivilized heathens helped justify killing them. race doesn't just result from a class system, it permeates lived experience & larger scale activity such as economy & the govt: it is created symbolically in everyday interactions

miscenegation

romantic, sexual, or marital relationships b/w ppl of diff races. at one point 41/50 states prohibited it but now it is more common. rise in immigration has a steady increase in this. intermarriage is most common among Asians & Hispanics. Asian women marry another race more often than Asian men. African American women marry another race less often than African Am men. interracial marriage more common amongst college educated

minority group

social group (either a racial or ethnic group) that is systematically denied the same access to power and resources available to society's dominant groups though they are not necessarily fewer in number than the dominant groups. belonging to a social category & suffer from unequal treatment as a result of that status. it is possible to be in the numerical majority & still have ______ status w/ regard to power & opportunity

cultural appropriation

the adoption of cultural elements belonging to an oppressed group by members of the dominant group, without permission and often for the dominant group's gain. occurs when members of the dominant group adopt, co-opt or otherwise take cultural elements from a marginalized group & use them for their own advantage. cultural elements: art, music, dance, dress, language, religious rituals, other forms that originate in a particular group. ex borrowing or stealing for Halloween costumes, college theme parties, crafted images & music stylings (Katy Perry, Iggy Azalea), Washington Redskins, Cleveland Indians, using fringe, moccasins, turquoise jewelry on fashion runways to sell clothes. it can perpetuate negative stereotypes, exacerbate interracial relations, further entrench social inequalities. considered postmodern cultural imperialism

white nationalism

the belief that the nation should be built around a white identity that is reflected in religion, politics, economics & culture

Reverse Racism

the claim by whites that they suffer discrimination based upon their race & therefore, experience social disadvantages. ex

population transfer

the forcible removal of a group of people from the territory they have occupied. ex Native Americans who had not perished in battles with U.S. soldiers were forced by the U.S. government to move onto Indian reservations (also referred to as tribal lands or American Indian nations) west of the Mississippi River. They were often moved far away from the lands where they had lived for generations (mostly southern states), as these were desirable territories that the whites wished to acquire for themselves. b/w 1838-1839 the state of Georgia and the fed govt forcibly marched 17,000 Cherokees over 800 mi, known as Trail of Tears. more than 4,000 ppl died of hunger, exposure, disease

Segregation

the physical & legal separation of groups by race or ethnicity. ex up to the '60s blacks lived in separate neighborhoods, were restricted to "colored" only sections of buses, parks, restaurants, drinking fountains. if members of the minority group live close by or in their own part of town, they were separated & unequal but still near enough to serve as workers for the dominant group. some groups were separated by railroad tracks, hence the term "wrong side of the tracks"

racial assimilation

the process by which racial minority groups are absorbed into the dominant group through intermarriage. assimilation can have positive effects such as ppl gaining membership in the dominant population but ethnic or racial identity will be sacrificed- minority group members may lose their ethnic or racial identity by ______ ________, having kids w/ the dominant group until the diff races are completely mixed, or through cultural assimilation in which members learn cultural practices of the dominant group

cultural assimilation

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

Critical Race Theory

the study of the relationship among race, racism, & power. developed in the '80s by legal scholars who believe racism permeates social institutions, especially the judicial system & should be recognized & addressed. focuses on intersectionality: how race is also modified by class, gender, sexuality, other social statuses- there are diff experiences of women of color or of a middle class black man or a gay Latino. this theory encourages narratives from intersecting voices & viewpoints. this theory challenges racist laws/policies & engages in activism that critiques the status quo & calls for social justice.

Symbolic Interactionism- social construction of race

theory that focuses on how we perceive & interpret race in everyday life, how do the meanings/ideas we have produce & perpetuate real world consequences. there is not physical trait that will always accurately identify the race someone belongs to. historically we have used particular features to make racial distinctions. hair is the important physical marker of racial identity, not skin color. the definition of race is not stable, instead it changes over time as racial categories are contested & developed, it is not skin color that created racial categories: if that were true, a father who is dark skinned & his son who is light skinned (b/c he is a biracial kid w/ a white mother) would be diff races. race is not a preexisting biological category, it is a social one that is framed in terms of biological features.

conflict theory

theory that focuses on the struggle for power and control. racism is partly driven by economic competition and the struggle over scarce resources. a "split labor market" in which one group of workers (defined by race, ethnicity, gender) is routinely paid less than those in other groups, keeps wages low for racial & ethnic minorities, compounding effects of racism w/ those of poverty. openly racist govt policies & individual attitudes were driving forces behind creation of a black underclass but the underclass is now perpetuated by economic factors, not racial ones.

functionalist theory

theory that states groups have a tendency toward ethnocentrism, or the belief that one's own culture and way of life are right and normal. Functionalists contend that positive feelings about one's group are strong ties that bind people together. this cohesiveness can lead members to see others, especially those of other races or ethnicities, in an unfavorable light. these cultural differences and the lack of integration into the larger society on the part of minorities tend to feed fear and hostility.

embodied identity

those elements of identity that are generated through others' perceptions of our physical traits, the way we are perceived in the physical world, has historically been used as the basis for discrimination

privilege

unearned advantage accorded to members of dominant social groups (males, whites, heterosexuals, the physically able, etc.)

Discrimination

unequal treatment of individuals based on their membership in a social (certain racial or ethnic) group; usually motivated by prejudice

social construction of race

we "read" others through cues & we also make ourselves readable to others by pur own self-presentations. our identity is constructed in negotiation b/w what we project & what others recognize. how do we project our racial or ethnic identities & read racial or ethnic identities of others? stereotypes like surfer dudes, sorority girls, welfare moms, etc

stereotype promise

inverse phenomenon of stereotype threat. Because there are positive stereotypes associated with the academic performance of Asian Americans, those students may reap benefits in similarly stressful situations when they might confirm such stereotypes.

genocide

the deliberate & systematic extermination of a racial, ethnic, national or cultural group. the worst possible outcome between dominant and subordinate groups

internal colonialism

the economic & political subjugation of the minority group by the dominant group w/in a nation. the exploitation of a minority group w/in the dominant group's own borders. inudes some sort of physical segregation of groups by race or ethnicity