Ch 8:Race and Ethnic Group Stratification

Definition

Minority groups are groups in a population that differ from others in some characteristics and are therefore subject to less power,fewer privileges, and discrimination.

Minority groups are :
Distinguishable from dominant group due to factors that make them different from the group that holds power
excluded/denied full participation at the meso-level of society in economic, political, educational, religious and other institutions.
evaluated less favorably based on their characteristics as minority group members, and have less access to power and resources within the nation
Are stereotyped, ridiculed and otherwise defamed, allowing the dominant group members to justify and not feel guilty about unequal and poor treatment
Develop collective identities among members to insulate themselves from the unaccepting world. This is in turn perpetuates their group identity by creating ethnic or racial enclaves, intragroup marriages, and segregated group institutions such as religious congregations

Dominant groups aren’t always the numerical majority

Ex: in South Africa, European weapons placed the native African Bantu population under the rule of a small number of white British and Dutch descendants in a system called apartheid.

The Concept of Race

Race is a socially created concept that identifies a group as “different” based on certain biologically inherited physical characteristics

Focuses on 3 issues:
Origins of the concept of race → the conclusion is that…> 1) people are born free and equal
2) racism stultilies personal development 3) race-based conflicts cost nations money and resources 4) prejudice foments international conflict

The social construction of race: symbolic interaction Analysis

if people believe something is real it may become real in its consequences.

as a social concept, race refers to psychological and moral characteristics as well as biological, justifying discriminatory treatment. Ex: treatment of colored people in US

The significance of race versus class-> racial bias has decreased on the micro level, but it is
still a significant determinant in the lives of African Americans, especially those in the lower class.
> the data are complex
> conclusion is that for upwardly mobile African Americans class may be more important than race

The major type of minority group is

Ethnic group

based on cultural factors: language, religion, values, norms, loyalty to a homeland/religious leader,etc.

Panethnicity - the process of merging many ethnicities into one broader category and emphasizes that ethnic identity is itself socially shaped/created. Ex: people from Brazil, Mexico, Cuba grouped together in a category called Hispanics/Latinos.

Refers to attitudes that prejudge a group, usually negatively and not based on facts.

if prejudiced attitude become actions they are referred to as discrimination

differential treatment of and harmful actions against minorities

Ex: refusal to sell someone a house because of the religion,race,etc.

Racial Bigotry and its forms

A bigot is someone who blindly insists that certain other people are so different that they are inferior-even less human

people insist that they are not prejudiced but fail to correct any problems created because racism is still embedded in our social system

Ex: since President Obama’s election the number of hate groups has risen to more than 1018. Many of these are “patriot” with deep distrust of the federal government

Sometimes occur at individual, small-group levels, particularly problematic at the organizational/ institutional levels

Side-effects discrimination refers to practices in one institutional area that have a negative impact because they are linked to practices in another institutional area, because institutions are interdependent, discrimination in one results in unintentional discrimination in others. Ex: discrimination in the criminal justice system may influence the discrimination in health care system.

Past-in-present discrimination refers to practices from the past that may no longer be allowed but that continue to have consequences for people in the present.

Racism is any Meso-Level institutional arrangement that favors one racial group; may result in intentional/unintentional consequences for minority groups

Genocide - the systematic effort of one group, usually the dominant, to destroy a minority group.

Ex: Jews were sent to concentration camps to be gassed by Hitler.

Subjugation - the subordination of one group to another that holds power and authority.

Slavery is a form of subjugation

Segregation is a type of subjugation which separates minorities from the dominant group and deprives them of access to the dominant institutions.

Ex: Jim Crow laws that legislated separation between groups in southern US after the Civil War.

understandable response of humans to their social environment. The commitment of people to the group based on stressing distinctions from out-group.

their loyalties may be dysfunctional for out-group members

Frustration-Aggression theory

people behave aggressively toward vulnerable minority group because they cannot achieve their goals

focuses on poorly adjusted people who express their frustration through aggressive attacks on others> the Ku Klux Klan

Scapegoating

occurs when a minority group is blamed for the failures of others.

Population transfer - the removal, often forced, of a minority group from a region or country.

Ex: Native Americans in the US were removed to reservations.

Assimilation - the structural and cultural merging of minority and majority groups , a process by which minority members may lose their original identity but contribute to their new society.

Ex: Basque people were restricted to speak their language during the WWII in Spain.

Pluralism - when each ethnic or racial group in a country maintains its own culture and separate set of institutions but has recognised equity in the society

Ex: Switzerland. People speak four languages that are official: French, German, Italian and Rommansh.

Conflict Theory

Creating a “lesser” group protects the dominant group’s advantages.

Ex: gastarbeiter (guest workers) who migrate to more successful countries for work.

Structural-Functional Theory

Maintaining a cheap pool of labourers who are in and out of work serves several purposes for society (fast-food workers).

Hostility between groups occurs because of three factors:
If two groups can be identified by their appearance, ethnocentrism may develop
If two groups conflict over scarce resources, hostility may likely arise
If one group has more power, dislike between two groups may occur

The Cost of Racism

Racism leads to individuals’ suffer from the destruction of their lives, health and property.
Prejudice and discrimination result in loss of talents who could be productive and contributing members.

Minority Reactions to Prejudice, Discrimination and Racism

Micro-Level Coping Strategies

Assimilation is an accommodation to prejudice and discrimination
Acceptance - some learned to live with their minority status.
Avoidance - withdrawal and isolation.

Ex: gypsies

Aggression results from anger and resentment over minority status.

Meso- and Macro-Level Efforts to Bring Change: Nonviolent Resistance

India, 1950s, Mahatma Gandhi led the struggle for independence from Britain. Martin Luther King Jr. followed in the nonviolent resistance tradition.

Individual level

stereotypes and prejudice -> therapy, tolerance-education programs

Group level: negative group interaction

positive contact, awareness by majority members of their many privileges

Societal level: institutionalized discrimination -> education, media, legal-system revisions

Affirmative Action - one of the most contentious policies in the US, it involves affirmative or positive steps to make sure that unintentional discrimination does not occur

Other policies: quota system, preference policies

Global level: deprivation of human rights -> human rights movements, international political pressures