Race and Ethnicity

Chapter 12
Henslin’s Sociology: A Down To Earth
Approach
How is race both a reality and a
myth?
In the sense that different groups inherit distinctive
physical traits, race is a reality.

There is, however, no agreement regarding what

constitutes a particular race, or of how many races
there are.

In the sense of one race being superior to another

and of there being pure races, race is a myth.

The idea of race is powerful, shaping basic

relationships among people.
  How do race and ethnicity differ?
Race refers to inherited biological
characteristics but is arbitrarily interpreted.

Ethnicity refers to cultural characteristics.

Members of ethnic groups identify with one

another on the basis of common ancestry and
cultural heritage.
What are minority and dominant
groups?

Minority groups are people who are singled out for

unequal treatment by members of the dominant
group.

The Dominant group is the group with more power,

privilege, and social status.(May be smaller in
numbers)

Minorities originate with migration or the expansion of

political boundaries.
What heightens ethnic identity, and
what is "ethnic work"?
A group’s size, power, physical characteristics,
and amount of discrimination heighten or
reduce ethnic identity.
Ethnic work is the process of constructing an
ethnic identity.
 For people with strong ties to their culture of origin,
ethnic work involves enhancing and maintaining group
distinctions.
 For those without a firm ethnic identity, ethnic work is
an attempt to recover one’s ethnic heritage.
Are prejudice and discrimination
the same thing?

Prejudice is an attitude,
Discrimination an act.

Some people who are prejudiced do not

discriminate, while others who are not
prejudiced do.
How do individual and institutional
discrimination differ?

Individual discrimination is the negative treatment

of one person by another, while institutional
discrimination is discrimination built into social
institutions.

Institutional discrimination often occurs without the

awareness of either the perpetrator or the object of
discrimination.

*Health care after heart attacks is one example.

Theories of Prejudice

How do psychologists explain prejudice?

Psychological theories of prejudice stress

authoritarian personalities and frustration
displaced toward scapegoats.
How do sociologists explain
prejudice?
Sociological theories focus on how different social
environments increase or decrease prejudice.

Functionalists stress the benefits and costs that come

from discrimination.

Conflict theorists look at how the groups in power

exploit racial and ethnic divisions in order to hold
down wages and otherwise maintain power.

Symbolic Interactionists stress how labels create

selective perception and self-fulfilling prophecies
 Global Patterns of Inter-group
Relations

What are the major patterns of minority and

dominant group relations?

Beginning with the least humane, they are

 Genocide
 Population transfer
 Internal colonialism
 Segregation
 Assimilation
 Multiculturalism (pluralism).
Race and Ethnic Relations in the
United States
What are the major ethnic groups in the
United States?

From largest to smallest, the major ethnic

groups are European Americans, Latinos,
African Americans, Asian Americans, and
Native Americans
What are some issues in race-ethnic relations and
characteristics of minority groups today?
Latinos are divided by social class and country of origin.

African Americans are increasingly divided into middle and

lower classes, with two sharply contrasting worlds of
experience.

On many measures, Asian Americans are better off than any

white Americans, but their well-being varies with country of
origin.

For Native Americans, the primary issues are poverty,

nationhood, and settling treaty obligations. Called the invisible
minority due to the rural nature of their distribution across the
country.

The overarching issue for minorities is overcoming

discrimination.
Looking Toward the Future

What main issues dominate race-ethnic

relations?

The main issues are immigration, affirmative

action, and how to develop a true multicultural
society.

The answers we explore will affect our future as

a society…