Race and Ethnicity

Chapter 9

Chapter Outline

Race and EthnicityPrejudiceDiscriminationSociological Perspectives on Race and

Ethnic RelationsRacial and Ethnic Groups in the United

StatesGlobal Racial and Ethnic Inequality in the

Future

What Is Race?

Some people view race as:– Skin color: the Caucasian “race”, – Religion: the Jewish “race” – Nationality: the British “race”– Entire human species: the

human “race”

Race and Biology

A race is a category of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior, on the basis of real or alleged physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, eye shape, or other attributes.

Race has little meaning biologically due to interbreeding in the human population.

Polling Question

Think about Whites in the U.S. compared to ethnic and racial minority groups. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: Whites as a group are very distinct from ethnic and racial minority groups.

A. Strongly agreeB. Agree somewhatC. UnsureD. Disagree somewhatE. Strongly disagree

Characteristics of Ethnic Groups

Unique cultural traits.A sense of community.A feeling of ethnocentrism.Ascribed membership from birth.Tendency to occupy a

geographic area.

How Much Do You Know About Race, Ethnicity, and Sports?

True or False?– African Americans who

competed in boxing matches in the late 1800s often had to agree to lose before they could obtain a match.

How Much Do You Know About Race, Ethnicity, and Sports?

True.– Promoters, who often set up boxing matches that pitted fighters by race, assumed that white fans were more likely to buy tickets if the white fighters frequently won.

How Much Do You Know About Race, Ethnicity, and Sports?

True or False?– Until recently, the positions of quarterback and kicker in the National Football League have been held almost exclusively by white players.

How Much Do You Know About Race, Ethnicity, and Sports?

True.– As late as the 1990s, whites accounted

for about 90 percent of the quarterbacks and kickers on NFL teams. However, this changed early in the twenty-first century, and today there are some African Americans playing virtually every position on all professional football teams.

Dominant and Subordinate Groups

A dominant group is one that is advantaged and has superior resources and rights in a society.

A subordinate group is one whose members are disadvantaged and subjected to unequal treatment by the dominant group and who regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.

Prejudice

A negative attitude based on generalizations about members of selected racial, ethnic, or other groups. – Ethnocentrism refers to the tendency to

regard one’s own culture and group as the standard.

– Stereotypes are overgeneralizations about the appearance, behavior, or other characteristics of members of particular categories.

RacismA set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices

used to justify the superior treatment of one racial or ethnic group and the inferior treatment of another racial or ethnic group.

Recent studies have shown that the underlying reasoning behind racism differs according to factors such as gender, age, class, and geography.

Theories of Prejudice

Frustration–aggression hypothesis– People who are frustrated in their efforts

to achieve a highly desired goal will respond with a pattern of aggression toward others.

Authoritarian Personality– Characterized by excessive conformity,

submissiveness to authority, intolerance, insecurity, a high level of superstition, and rigid, stereotypic thinking.

DiscriminationDiscrimination involves actions or

practices of dominant-group members that have a harmful impact on members of a subordinate group

Actions vary in severity– Genocide – deliberate, systematic

killing of an entire people or nation

Merton’s Typology ofPrejudice and Discrimination

Prejudiced

Attitude?

Discriminatory

behavior?

Unprejudicednondiscriminator

No No

Unprejudiceddiscriminator

No Yes

PrejudicedNondiscriminator

Yes No

PrejudicedDiscriminator

Yes Yes

Four Major Types of Discrimination

1. Isolate discrimination - A prejudiced judge giving harsher sentences to African American defendants.

2. Small-group discrimination - Small group of white students defacing a professor’s office with racist epithets.

Four Major Types of Discrimination

3. Direct institutionalized discrimination - Intentional exclusion of people of color from public accommodations.

4. Indirect institutionalized discrimination - Special education classes may have contributed to racial stereotyping.

Contact HypothesisContact between divergent groups

should be positive as long as group members:– Have equal status.– Pursue the same goals.– Cooperate with one another to achieve

goals.– Receive positive feedback while

interacting.

Functionalist Perspectives on Race and Ethnic RelationsAssimilation

A process by which members of sub-ordinate racial and ethnic groups become absorbed into the dominant culture.

Ethnic PluralismThe coexistence of a variety of distinct racial and ethnic groups within one society.

Conflict Perspectives on Race and Ethnic RelationsThe Caste Perspective views

racial and ethnic inequality as a permanent feature of U.S. society.

Class perspectives emphasize the role of the capitalist class in racial exploitation.

Conflict Perspectives on Race and Ethnic RelationsInternal Colonialism occurs when

members of a racial or ethnic group are forcibly placed under the control of the dominant group.

Split Labor Market - The division of the economy into a primary sector composed of higher paid workers in more secure jobs, and a secondary sector of lower-paid workers in jobs with little security.

Critical Race Theory

Premises: – The belief that racism is such an

ingrained feature of U.S. society that it appears to be ordinary and natural to many people.

– The belief that interest convergence is a crucial factor in bringing about social change.

Perspectives on Race and Ethnic Relations

Focus Theory

Symbolic Interactionist

Microlevel contacts between individuals

Contact hypothesis

Functionalist Macrolevel intergroup processes

AssimilationEthnic

Pluralism

Perspectives on Race and Ethnic Relations

Focus Theory

ConflictPower/economic differentials

between dominant and subordinate groups.

Caste perspectiveClass perspective

Internal colonialismSplit labor marketGendered racismRacial formation

Critical RaceTheory

Racism as a feature of society that affects everyone.

Law may remedyovert discriminationbut have little effect

on subtle racism.

Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States

Native Americans White Anglo‑Saxon

Protestants African Americans White Ethnic

Americans Asian Americans Latinos/as Middle Eastern

Americans

Polling Question

I would like to marry someone of a different racial or ethnic group.

A. Strongly agreeB. Agree somewhatC. UnsureD. Disagree somewhatE. Strongly disagree

Native Americans

Most disadvantaged group in the U.S. in terms of income, employment, housing, and nutrition.

As a group they have experienced:– Genocide– Forced Migration– Forced Assimilation

African Americans

Slavery was rationalized by stereotyping African Americans as inferior and childlike.

Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 sought to eliminate discrimination in education, housing, employment and health care.

Polling Question

Descendents of slavery in the U.S. should be given economic restitution by the U.S. government for the consequences of slavery.

A. Strongly agreeB. Agree somewhatC. UnsureD. Disagree somewhatE. Strongly disagree

Asian Americans

Fastest growing ethnic minority in the U.S.

Includes Japanese, Korean, Filipino and Indochinese Americans.

Latinos/as (Hispanic Americans)

Includes Mexican American's, Puerto Ricans and Cuban Americans.

Many Mexican American families have lived in the U.S. for 4 or 5 generations and have made significant contributions.

In 1917, Puerto Ricans acquired U.S. citizenship and the right to move freely to and from the mainland.

Middle Eastern Americans

Includes immigrants from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Jordan.

The Lebanese, Syrians, and Iranians primarily come from middle class backgrounds.

Most Iranian immigrants initially hoped to return to Iran; however, many have become U.S. citizens.

Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the U.S.In 1980 white Americans made up 80%

of the population.In 2000, white Americans made up

70% of the population.By 2056, the roots of the average U.S.

resident will be in Africa, Asia, Hispanic countries, the Pacific Islands, or Arabia—not white Europe.

Odds of Being a Pro Athlete by Race/Ethnicity and Sport

WhiteAfrican

American Latino/a

Football 1 in 62,500 1 in 47,600 1 in 2,500,000

Baseball 1 in 83,300 1 in 333,300 1 in 500,000

Basketball 1 in 357,100 1 in 153,800 1 in 33,300,000