1. Race and Ethnicity

2. Lecture Outline I. The Significance of Race II. The Social Construction of Race III. Prejudice and Discrimination

3. Minority Groups Racial group: refers to a category of people who are believed to share physical characteristics that are deemed socially significant. Ethnic group: group set apart from others primarily because of its national origin or distinctive cultural patterns Minority group: subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power than members of dominant or majority group – Race? What other groups are minority groups? What characteristics create minority groups?

4. Dominant and Minority Groups Other characteristics that may make a group subject to unequal treatment: gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, skin color. Are dominant groups always larger than minority groups?

5. Are you “color-blind”? What does it mean to be “color-blind”? Has racism changed since before the civil rights movement? How?

6. One Argument: Race no longer matters – There is equal opportunity due to civil rights movement – We live in a color-blind society Do we? Have we reached the promise land that MLK spoke of in 1963? Opposition (Sociological): Race structures society and is highly significant. While trends may be encouraging, and there are no longer legally enforced forms of racial domination, racial inequality is widespread and racism is much less overt. -Notion of color blind racism/Symbolic Racism Why talk about Race? Is Racial Inequality a Social Problem?

7. Race and ethnicity organize societies and play a large role in fueling violence around the globe. Race is a Social Reality

8. II. Race-A Social Construction – Each society socially constructs the meaning of symbols Social Construction of Race – What does this mean?

9. Race as a social construct We know race is socially constructed because the meaning of race has been inconsistent. The meaning of race has changed – Over time – Across cultures

10. The idea of “white” has evolved over time. – Thoughts? Example: Race changing over time

11. Since 1790, the census has never measured race in the same way in the U.S. “Mulatto” was in the 1800 census, but taken out a few decades later “Mexican” was considered a race in 1930, but in the next census, they were counted as white Asian Indians were considered white in 1970 The term “negro” still appears on today’s census, in addition to “African American” In the earliest census measurements, survey takers would assign your race to you.

12. Example: Race across cultures How many races are in the United States? Brazil?

13. Racial Formation: Basically, racial categories have been created, shaped, re-shaped, and destroyed throughout history depending on the social and historical context. Race is NOT biologically/genetically real, but it is very real in the social sense. – Who has had the power to define groups and the meanings attached to them? How does this happen? The Social Construction of Race

14. A Brief History of Race Race became the tool through which Europeans could justify the domination, enslavement, and exploitation of racially “othered” groups. Which groups? Since race became a social construct, it has been used by those in power (dominant groups)to deny “others” (minority groups) access to valued resources. What types of resources?

15. III. Prejudice and Discrimination What’s the difference?

16. Prejudice Prejudice: “pre-judge” – Attitudes that certain groups of people are either inferior or superior – Can be either positive or negative i.e. Asians are good at math, African Americans are good at sports – Stereotypes

17. Discrimination The acts that arise from prejudices – Individual discrimination: Unfair on unequal treatment based on group membership, on an individual level i.e. Not inviting a co-worker to lunch based on their race i.e. hate crimes – Discrimination is: Subtle: for example not sitting next to someone Blatant: Racial slurs

18. Institutionalized discrimination Institutionalized discrimination: how discrimination is woven into the fabric of society Looks at a culture of racism Does not look at individuals as racists We see these things as normal and do not question them

19. Prejudice and Discrimination – Gatekeeping: decision on which people are admitted to offices and positions of privilege, prestige, and power within society – Environmental racism: practice of locating incinerators and other types of hazardous waste facilities in or next to minority communities

20. Institutional Discrimination Examples Home mortgage and car loans – Thomas (1992) and Passell (1996) found that controlling for income and credit scores, Latinos and African Americans were 60% more likely to be rejected for loans than whites The Criminal Justice System Differential Sentencing and drug policies Death penalty The Education system Minorities are disproportionately represented in low-income neighborhoods, where schools and teachers are underfunded.

21. Discriminatory Housing Practices Redlining: mortgage companies deny loans for houses in minority neighborhoods. Racial steering: realtors discourage minorities from moving into certain neighborhoods.