1. Chapter 9 Inequalities of Race and Ethnicity

2. Minorities
Minorities – a group of people w/ physical or cultural traits different from those of the dominant group
Numbers alone do not make you a minority
Ex. Women in the U.S.
Key factors
Has distinctive physical or cultural characteristics which can be used to separate if from the majority
The minority is dominated by the majority
Majority hold an unequal share of desired goods, services, and privleges
Minority traits are often believed by the dominant majority to be inferior
Members of the minority have a common sense of identity with strong group loyalty
The majority determines who belongs to the minority through ascribed status

3. Race
Race – people sharing certain inherited physical characteristics that are considered important w/in a society
In sociology, social attitudes and characteristics that relate to race are more important than physical differences
No scientific evidence that connects any racial characteristic w/ innate superiority or inferiority

4. Ethnicity
Ethnicity – group identified by cultural, religious, or national characteristics
Ex. Language, religion, values, beliefs, norms, and customs
Ethnocentrism – main cause for negative attitudes toward ethnic minorities

5. Racial and Ethnic Relations
If minority groups are - accepted leads to assimilation, if rejected leads to conflict
Assimilation – the blending or fusing of minority groups into the dominant society
Anglo-conformity – the most prevalent pattern of assimilation in America
Traditional American institutions are maintained
Immigrants are accepted as long as they conform to the “accepted standards” of the society
Others must either give up or suppress its own value

6. Racial and Ethnic Relations
Melting Pot – all ethnic and racial minorities voluntarily blend together
Tossed salad – traditions and cultures exist side by side – many Sociologist prefer this idea
Cultural Pluralism – desire of a group to maintain some sense of identity separate from the dominant group
Accommodation – an extreme from of cultural pluralism. Occurs when a minority maintains its own culturally unique way of life

7. Patterns of Conflict
Genocide – the systematic effort to destroy an entire population
Most extreme version
Ex. – Holocaust, Hutu vs. Tutsis, Serbians’ “Ethnic Cleansing” of Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo
Population transfer – a minority is forced either to move to a remote location or to leave entirely
Ex. - Native Americans
Subjugation – process by which a minority group is denied equal access to the benefits of society
Most common pattern of conflict
De jure segregation – denial of equal access based on the law
Ex. – U.S. schools before Brown vs. Board of Ed.
De facto segregation – denial of equal access based on everyday practice
Ex - Neighbors not selling homes to certain races, businesses not promoting certain minorities