1. Does race still matter?
Are you colorblind?
Why and how was the concept of race invented?
What’s the difference between prejudice and discrimination?
Race Chapter 9 “Race as we know it has no deterministic, biological basis: All the same, race is so powerful that it can have life or death consequences”

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

3. I. The Significance of Race
How do we define Race and Ethnicity?

4. Defining Race and Ethnicity
Ethnic Groups
Ethnic groups are categories of people who are distinctive on the basis of national origin or heritage, language, customs, or cultural practices.
What is distinctive about your ethnic identity?

5. Defining Race and Ethnicity
Racial Groups
Physical differences, not cultural
Socially constructed

6. Minority Groups
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?

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

8. Modern Perspectives on Significance of race
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?
Are you “color-blind”? What does it mean to be “color-blind”?
Are children color blind?
What is wrong with the notion that we live in a color-blind or post-racial society?

9. Perspectives
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 certainly still exists, although it is much less overt/hidden
-Race and ethnicity organize societies and play a large role in fueling violence around the globe.
-Existence of hate crimes and hate organizations (Increasing rates of membership)
-Existence of racial inequalities
-Poverty rates, wealth and income gaps
-Criminal Justice system injustices
-Education system inequalities
-Prejudice and discrimination towards minority groups
-Studies show that stereotypes reinforced in media

10. Making Privilege Visible
Peggy McIntosh (1989): People will come to admit and see that others may be disadvantaged, but are unwilling to acknowledge advantage or privilege
Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack:
“I don’t have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their daily protection”
“I can take a job without having my co-workers suspect that I got the job because of affirmative action”
“I can speak well in public without it being a credit to my race..and if I don’t happen to speak well, I won’t perpetuate negative stereotypes about my race”
“I can shop in a department store or drive my car relatively sure that I am not being followed or stopped because of my race”.
Other examples…

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

12. 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

13. Example: Race changing over time
The idea of “white” and “black” and “other” has evolved over time.
Benefits?
Since 1790, the census has never measured race in the same way in the U.S.

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

15. 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?

16. The Social Construction of Race
Racial Formation: Basically, racial categories have been created, shaped, re- shaped, and destroyed throughout history depending on the social and historical context.
-Social, economic, and political forces create and perpetuate racial categories and meanings
Scientific racism
Who has had the power to define and create racial groups? Define who can be citizens and have rights and who can not?

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

18. Prejudice Prejudice: “pre-judge”
Attitudes of aversion and hostility towards the members of a group simply because they belong to it and are presumed to have negative qualities attached to group membership
A subjective phenomenon: A state of mind
Stereotypes-Unreliable generalizations about all members of a group
How do people become prejudiced?

19. Discrimination The acts that arise from prejudices
Members of a group are denied the privileges, prestige, power, legal rights, equal protection under law, and other societal benefits available to members of dominant group
2 main levels
1. Individual discrimination
Individual racism
i.e. Not inviting a co-worker to lunch based on their race-subtle
i.e. hate crimes-blatant and dangerous
2. Institutional discrimination
Institutional racism

20. Institutionalized discrimination
Institutionalized discrimination/racism: how discrimination/racism is woven into the fabric of society
Looks at a culture of racism, not at individuals as racists
The functioning of institutions of a society produce unequal outcomes for different groups
EDU, CJS, HCS, Economics, Politics, etc
Businesses, hospitals, and police departments do not need to be staffed by prejudiced individuals for discrimination to occur

21. Institutionalized discrimination
One mechanism of institutional discrimination is gatekeeping:
decisions upon which people are admitted to offices and positions of privilege, prestige, and power within society and are treated fairly
Who are gatekeepers?
Individuals in personnel, HR, managers in the workplace, loss prevention associates, business owners, landlords, loan officers, police officers, teachers, security guards, etc.
When enough individuals, gatekeepers, act in a way that is discriminatory, individualized racism can become institutionalized, whether they are acting b/c of prejudice, or just following laws and policies that create unequal outcomes

22. Towards a future of justice
Sociology and race…
Despite great strides towards equality and fighting racism, race remains a significant factor in the lives of Americans and people all over the world.
In order to work towards equality, we must first recognize and acknowledge continued injustice and engage in difficult and sensitive conversations as a society…