RACE AND ETHNICITY

Sociology

Race: Myth and Reality

Race: A group of people with inherited physical characteristics (skin color, hair texture, eye hues) that distinguish it from another group.

Myths About Race Some races are superior to other races A “pure” race exists

Race: Myth and Reality

Genocide: The attempt to destroy a group of people because of their race or ethnicity. Ex: Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust Ex: Hutus vs. Tutsis in Rwanda

Race is arbitrary – biologists can’t agree on how many races exist

Ethnic Groups

Ethnicity: Having distinctive cultural characteristics

Ethnic groups identify with each other on common ancestry and cultural heritage Nation of Origin Food Clothing Language Music Religion

Race and ethnicity are often confused Ex: Jews are an ethnic group, not a race

Minority Groups and Dominant Groups

Minority Group: People who are singled out for unequal treatment and who regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.

Minorities share several conditions worldwide: Their physical or cultural traits are held in

low esteem by the dominant group They are treated unfairly by the dominant

group They tend to marry within their own group

Minority Groups and Dominant Groups

The conditions in which minority groups live tend to create a sense of identity (“we-ness”) and common destiny.

Minority groups are not necessarily numerical minorities Ex: British discrimination against Indians in

India Ex: Dutch discrimination (apartheid)

against blacks in South Africa

Minority Groups and Dominant Groups

Dominant Group: The group with the most power, greatest privileges, and highest social status. Often possesses political power Unified by shared cultural traits

Minority Groups and Dominant Groups

A group becomes a minority in one of two ways: Through the expansion of political

boundaries Ex: The U.S. taking over Mexico in 1848

Through migration (voluntary or involuntary) Ex: Mexicans coming to the United States Ex: African slaves being brought to the United

States

Constructing Racial-Ethnic Identity

•Smaller Numbers •Lesser Power•Different from “National Identity” •Discrimination

•Smaller Numbers •Lesser Power•Different from “National Identity” •Discrimination

Heightened Sense of Ethnicity

Heightened Sense of Ethnicity

•Part of the Majority •Greater Power•Similar to “National Identity” •No discrimination

•Part of the Majority •Greater Power•Similar to “National Identity” •No discrimination

Low Sense of Ethnicity Low Sense of Ethnicity