Chapter 11: Race & Ethnicity

Subordinate Group

A group of people who have less power than the dominant group

Dominant Group

A group of people who have more power in a society than any of the subordinate groups.

Racism

A set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices that are used to justify the belief that one racial category is somehow superior or inferior to others

Minority Group

Any group of people who are singled out from the others for differential and unequal treatment

Prejudice

Biased thought based on flawed assumptions about a group of people

Stereotypes

Oversimplified ideas about groups of people Example, Based on race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation

Discrimination

Prejudiced action against a group of people

Inter-group Relations

Relationship between different groups of people.

Pluralism

Represented by the ideal of the United States as a "salad bowl:" a mixture of different cultures where each culture retains its own identity and yet adds to the "flavor" of the whole

Ethnicity

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

Scapegoat Theory

Suggests that the dominant group will displace its unfocused aggression onto a subordinate group. Examples, The way that Adolf Hitler was able to use the Jewish people as scapegoats for Germany's social and economic problems.

White Privilge

The benefits people receive simply by being part of the dominant group Example, White women can easily find makeup that matches their skin tone. White people can be assured that, most of the time, they will be dealing with authority figures of their own race.

Genocide

The deliberate annihilation of a targeted group Example, Hitler's Nazi regime was responsible for the deaths of 12 million people, six million of whom were Jewish (Holocaust).

Segregation

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

Amalgamation

The process by which a minority group and a majority group combine to form a new group

Assimilation

The process by which a minority individual or group takes on the characteristics of the dominant culture

Social Construction Of Race

The school of thought that race is not biologically identifiable

Culture of Prejudice

The theory that prejudice is embedded in our culture

Intersection Theory

Theory that suggests we cannot separate the effects of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and other attributes. In the view of functionalism, racial and ethnic inequalities must have served an important function in order to exist as long as they have. Conflict theories are often applied to inequalities of gender, social class, education, race, and ethnicity

Expulsion

When a dominant group forces a subordinate group to leave a certain area or even the country

Racial Steering

When real estate agents direct prospective homeowners toward or away from certain neighborhoods based on their race