Sociology Chapter 8
double-consciousness
W.E.B. DuBois's term for the divided identity experienced by blacks in the United States asked whether one could be black and at the same time claim one's rights as an American
Mary Waters
Who explained that the social and political consequences of being Asian or Hispanic or black are not, for the most part, symbolic, nor are they voluntary. They are real, unavoidable, and sometimes hurtful
pluralism
a cultural pattern of intergroup relations that encourages racial and ethnic variation and acceptance within a society (salad bowl- all the different ingredients maintain their distinct qualities, even as they are tossed together) tolerant of racial and ethnic differences
minority
a group that's smaller in number than the majority group
assimilation
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 (melting pot)
colonialism
a policy whereby a stronger nation takes control of a weaker nation in order to extend the stronger nation's territory or to exploit the colony's resources for the stronger nation's own enrichment (the British Empire)
racism
a set of beliefs about the claimed superiority of one racial or ethnic group; used to justify inequality and often rooted in the assumption that differences among groups are genetic
stereotype threat
a social-psychological mechanism at play among minoirty college students that hinders their academic performance can cause sufficient anxiety in those students to effectively harm their abilities may help to explain some of the achievement gap between racial groups
Ethnicity
a socially defined category based on common language, religion, nationality, history, or another cultural factor (the Scotch-Irish)
race
a socially defined category based on real or perceived biological differences between groups of people more meaningful to us on a social level than a biological level
situational ethnicity
an ethnic identity that can be either displayed or concealed depending on its usefulness in a given situation involves a kind of cost-benefit analysis: we need to appraise each situation to determine whether or not it favors our ethnicity (using it as a political gain if others have the same in order to gain support instead of hiding it in areas where it wouldn't be looked at as positively)
symbolic ethnicity
an ethnic identity that is only relevant on specific occasions and does not significantly impact everyday life (St. Patrick's Day, Passover, and Cinco de Mayo)
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 (all Irish are drunks, all Mexicans are lazy)
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. recognizes that despite the civil rights gains of the last hundred years, race is still a powerful factor in shaping our everyday lives and the world we live in
color-blind racism
an ideology that removes race as an explanation for any form of unequal treatment (after all, we elected a black president, so racism must be a thing of the past)
stereotype promise
because there are positive stereotypes asscoiated with the academic success of Asian Americans, those students may reap benefits in similarly stressful situations when they might confirm such stereotypes
public sociology
bridging legal and scholarly works with frontline involvement in solutions to the real-world problems of racial and gender oppression
Individual Discrimination
discrimination carried out by one person against another when one person treats others unfairly because of their race or ethnicity (a racist teacher might discriminate against a Hispanic student by assigning him a lower grade than he deserved)
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 (Ferguson was a place where officers abused black people. they stopped and handcuffed people without probable cause, hurled racial slurs, used stun guns without provocation, and treated anyone as suspicious merely for questioning police tactics)
microaggressions
everyday uses of subtle verbal and 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 typically subtle, casual, and often unintentional, but still deliver a powerful message that serves to denigrate or marginalize others because of their group membership (what are you, where are you really from, a white woman clutches her handbag more closely when she passes by a group of Latino men)
systemic racism
found in the policies and practices of social institutions (like education, the economy, and the military) that result in discrimination against and exclusion of members of racial minority groups
structural functionalism
groups have a tendency toward ethnocentrism, which binds people together but also makes the, act unfavorably toward those outside the group
color blindness
judging people by the content of their character rather than by the color of their skin
conflict theory
majority groups use racism and ethnocentrism to protect their interests
internalized racism
minority group members are are prejudiced against themselves or their own group
split labor market
one group of workers (usually defined by race, ethnicity, or gender) is routinely paid less than those in other groups, keeps wages low for racial and ethnic minorities, compounding the effects of racism with those of poverty
discrimination
prejudice often, though not always, leads to what?
passing
presenting yourself as a member of a different group than the stigmatized group you belong to (both during and after slavery, some light-skinned African Americans attempted to live as whites in order to avoid the dire consequences of being black in a racist society) involves manufacturing or maintaining a new identity that is more beneficial than one's real identity
symbolic interactionism
race and ethnicity are created symbolically in everyday interactions
Symbolic Interactionism
race and ethnicity are part of our identity as displayed through our presentation of self
structural functionalism
racial and ethnic differences are a necessary part of society. Even racial inequality has functions that help maintain social order
conflict theory
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
miscegenation
romantic, sexual, or marital relationships between people of different races
minority group
social 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 (In South Africa, Blacks there dramatically outnumbered whites by a ratio of seven to one, yet before the 1994 election of president Nelson Mandela, a small white minority controlled the country while blacks occupied the lowest status in that society)
intersectionality
taking into account how race is also modified by class, gender, sexuality, and other social statuses
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 when members of the dominant group adopt, co-adopt, or otherwise take cultural elements from a marginalized group and use the for their own advantage (costumes for Halloween, college theme parties, singing styles, etc.)
ethnocentrism
the belief that one's own culture and way of life are right and normal
manifest destiny
the belief that the United States had a mission to expand its territories helped justify the taking of lands, and the notion that Native Americans were "uncivilized heathens" helped justify killing them
white nationalism
the belief that the nation should be built around a white identity that is reflected in religion, politics, economics, and culture
reverse racism
the claim by whites that they suffer discrimination based upon their race and, therefore, experience social disadvantages
genocide
the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group. (Germany and the Jews)
internal colonialism
the economic and political subjugation of the minority group by the dominant group within a nation often takes the form of economic exploitation and includes some sort of physical segregation by race or ethnicity (African Americans had to stay in certain sections of the bus, parks, restaurants, etc.)
population transfer
the forcible removal of a group of people from the territory they have occupied (the Native Americans in the United States)
segregation
the physical and legal separation of groups by race or ethnicity
racial assimilation
the process by which racial minority groups are absorbed into the dominant group through intermarriage having children with the dominant group until the different races are completely mixed
cultural assimilation
the process by which racial or ethnic groups are absorbed into the dominant group by adopting the dominant group's culture members learn the cultural practices of the dominant group
critical race theory
the study of the relationship among race, racism, and power racism permeates our social institutions, especially our judicial system, and must be recognized and addressed as such has a focus on intersectionality encourages the inclusion of narratives from a multitude of intersecting voices and viewpoints to challenging racist laws and policies and to engage in a kind of activism that not only critiques the status quo but also is intended to push forward an agenda for social justice
genocide
the worst possible outcome between dominant and subordinate groups
racist beliefs
these type of beliefs are often rooted in the assumption that differences among groups are innate, or biologically based or arise from a negative view of a group's cultural characteristics one group is better than the other
structural functionalism
this theory offers an explanation of how prejudice and discrimination develop by focusing on social solidarity and group cohesion
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
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 group; usually motivated by prejudice (a person suffers from this if she is turned down from a job promotion or a home loan because she's black or hispanic)
Symbolic Intractionism
what theory focuses on how we perceive and interpret race in everyday life, looking at the meanings and ideas we hold and how this helps to produce and perpetuate real-world consequences
affirmative action policies, programs, and practices
what were established to help create opportunities for underrepresented minorities in housing, education, and employment used to promote diversity and inclusion, provide equal access, and reduce the effects of historical discrimination
jennifer Lee and Min Zhou
which people developed the term stereo type promise?
Michael Omi and Howard Winant
which people wrote Racial Formation in the United States that talks about how although the concept of race invokes biologically based human characteristics, which particular features are chosen to make racial distinctions is always and necessarily a social and historical process (Hair) They show how racial groups are created socially and historically by arguing that race can be understood as a fundamental dimension of social organization and cultural meaning in the U.S. real physical bodies still matter to this process, but it is the meaning attributed to these bodies that determines what racial categories will exist, who will belong in them, and what they will mean
Robin DiAngelo
which sociologist claims that racism requires the ongoing use of institutional power and authority to perpetuate prejudiced and discriminatory actions in systematic ways with far-reaching effects people of color may hold prejudices and discriminate against some whites, but they don't have the collective power to transform our society into one that is systematically biased against whites
functionalists
which theorists believe that positive feelings about one's group are strong ties that bind people together but this cohesiveness can lead members to see others, especially those of other races or ethnicity, 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
conflict theory
which theory does this case study fall under? some members of majority groups (whites and men in particular) object to affirmative action programs that assist underrepresented groups. This can create conflict among racial groups in society
symbolic interactionism
which theory does this case study fall under? some individuals (white ethnics and light-skinned nonwhites in particular) 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 at large
structural functionalism
which theory does this case study fall under? the functions of racial inequality and conflict for society could include the creation of social cohesion within both the dominant and minority groups
conflict theory
which theory focuses on the struggle for power and control looked for the source of racism in capitalist hierarchies
Patricia Hill Collins, Bell Hooks, and Gloria Anzaldua
which three people argue that race must be explained in the terms in which it is experienced, not as overarching general theories
antiracist allies
whites and others working toward the goal of ending racial injustice
Byron Burkhalter
who argues that race is not irrefutably identifiable even in face-to-face interactions and that we must establish it interacially both on- and off-line we can't always tell by looking what race someone belongs to and how that person might define his own racial identity
Edna Bonacich
who argues that racism is partly driven by economic competition and the struggle over scarce resources "split labor market"
Claude Steele
who developed the term stereotype threat?
W.E.B. DuBois
who devised the concept of double-consciousness?
Winddance Twine
who identifies the intersection of class, race, and gender by showing the ways in which interracial intimacy and the racism that accompanies it is a gendered experience race, class, gender, and parenthood combine to shape the lived experiences of individuals and families
William Julius Wilson
who proposed that openly racist government policies and individual racist attitudes were the driving forces behind the creation of a black underclass but that the underclass is now perpetuated by economic factors, not racial ones
Rogers Brubaker
who spoke out about how if we can accept the notion that a person can be transgender, that it is also possible for a person to be transracial and identify with a racial group other than the one he or she was born into
Stuart Hall
who talks about how it is not skin color that created racial categories Race is not a preexisting biological category; it is a social one that is framed in terms of biological features
Rachel Dolezal
who was the white woman who identified as black and went to great lengths to embody that chosen identity civil rights activist leader of a local chapter of the NAACP professor of Africana studies her parents revealed that she was actually white
Ta-Nehisi Coates
who wrote Between the World and Me which spoke about racism and discrimination in American society, drawing heavily from personal experience it was a letter to his son that warns of the omnipresent dangers facing black men by talking about how they have always been at risk of destruction-once at the hands of slave masters and lynching mobs and now from the police who frisk, detain, beat, cage, and humiliate them. This letter was meant to inspire his son to learn all he can about the noble history of black people, to discover empowering stories that have often been repressed of just unheard
J.D. Vance
who wrote the book Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis that talks about the Scotch-Irish as a tight-knit and fiercely loyal group that clings to traditional family values, evangelical Christianity, and conservative politics
Tomas Almaguer
who wrote the book Racial Fault Lines: The Historical Origins of White Supremacy in California that talked about California's racial hierarchy that placed whites at the top, followed by Mexicans, blacks, Asians, and Native Americans at the bottom and examines how white supremacist ideology became institutionalized