1. Racial and Ethnic relations
Chapter 10

2. Race, ethnicity, and social structure
Race – a category of people who share inherited physical characteristics and who others see as being a distinct group.

3. Race, ethnicity, and social structure
One of the best known classification systems sort people into three racial groups:
Caucasoids: fair skin, straight or wavy hair
Mongoloids: yellowish or brownish skin, distinct folds on the eyelids
Negroids: dark skin, woolly hair
This classification system is no longer used because there are no biologically “pure” races.

4. Race, ethnicity, and social structure
Ethnicity- the set of cultural characteristics that distinguishes one group from another.
Ethnic Groups tend to share cultural characteristics such as national origin, language, religion, customs, and values

5. Race, ethnicity, and social structure
Minority Group – a group who are singled out and treated unequally due to their physical characteristics or cultural practices

6. Race, ethnicity, and social structure
Characteristics of Minority Groups:
Identifiable physical or cultural physical cultural characteristics
Victims of unequal treatment
Group membership is an ascribed status
Members share strong bonds and a sense of loyalty
Members tend to practice endogamy or marriage within their own groups

7. Patterns of intergroup relations
Discrimination vs Prejudice
Discrimination denial of equal treatment based on group membership; involves behaviors
Prejudice – unsupported generalization about a category of people, involves attitudes and can be positive

8. Patterns of intergroup relations
Discrimination
Legal Discrimination is upheld by the law
Examples:
Apartheid of South Africa
Women not having the right to vote
Jim Crow laws

9. Patterns of intergroup relations
Institutionalized Discrimination is an outgrowth of society
Examples:
Denied access to jobs/housing
Concentration in low-income communities
This is where the cycle of inequality is maintained

10. Patterns of intergroup relations
Prejudice
Negative forms of prejudice often include stereotypes or oversimplified, exaggerated, or unfavorable generalization about a group of people.

11. Patterns of intergroup relations

12. Patterns of intergroup relations
Stereotyping can have very negative consequences.
If people are told often enough and long enough that they or others are socially, mentally, or physically inferior they may come to believe it.
Self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that results in behavior that that makes the prediction come true.

13. Patterns of intergroup relations
Racism is the belief that one’s own race or ethnic group is naturally superior to other races or ethnic groups.
Racism has been used to justify atrocities such as slavery and genocide

14. Patterns of intergroup relations
The active bigot is prejudiced and openly discriminatory.
The timid bigot is prejudiced, but is afraid to discriminate due to social pressures.
The fair-weathered liberal is not prejudice, but discriminates anyways because of social pressures.
The all-weather liberal is not prejudice and does not discriminate.

15. Patterns of intergroup relations

16. Patterns of intergroup relations
Sources of Prejudice and Discrimination
Sociological Explanations
The social environments
Accepted societal norms
Internalization of norms
People often become prejudiced to maintain their group membership.
They may also become prejudiced through identification with a reference group that encourages and supports such behavior.

17. Patterns of intergroup relations
Sources of Prejudice and Discrimination
Psychological Explanations
People may be prejudiced because of their personality type (Authoritarian Personality).
People may be prejudiced due to frustration and anger.
They may blame others for their troubles – this is called scapegoating

18. Patterns of intergroup relations
Minority groups are often scapegoats for a variety of reasons such as:
They are easy to recognize (physical features, language, ect)
They lack power in society
They are often concentrated in geographic areas
They have been targets of scapegoating in the past
They represent something such as an idea, attitude, or way of life the scapegoater does not like.

19. Patterns of intergroup relations
Patterns of Minority Group Treatment
Cultural Pluralism
Assimilation
Legal Protection
Segregation
Subjugation
Population Transfer
Extermination

20. Patterns of intergroup relations
Cultural Pluralism allows each group within society to keep its unique cultural identity.
Switzerland is an example of this:
Three official languages – one for each of the major ethnic groups
French
German
Italian

21. Patterns of intergroup relations
Assimilation occurs when distinct cultural groups blend into a single group with a common feature and identity.
The image of America is the “melting pot”
Some assimilation occurs voluntarily and sometimes it is forced.
Bulgaria forbid the Turks from practicing their religion, using their language, and from celebrating their culture.

22. Patterns of intergroup relations
Legal Protection ensures the rights of minority groups are protected.
Examples:
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Affirmative Action programs in the US
Reverse discrimination can occur when preference is given to women and minorities.

23. Patterns of intergroup relations
Segregation refers to policies that physically separate a minority group from the dominant group.
De jure segregation is based on law
Jews forced to live in ghettos
De facto segregation is based on informal norms
Minorities concentrated in cities

24. Patterns of intergroup relations
Subjugation is the maintaining control over a minority group through force.
Slavery is the most extreme form of subjugation
Apartheid in South Africa was the legal segregation of groups. This practiced lasted until the 1990’s.

25. Patterns of intergroup relations
Population transfer is when the dominant group in society separates itself from the minority group by transferring the minority population to a new territory.
Example: The forcible removal of Native Americans from their lands onto reservations.

26. Patterns of intergroup relations
Extermination is the most extreme response to the existence of minority groups within a country.
Genocide is the intentional destruction of an entire targeted population.
Anti-Semitism
Rwandan Genocide

27. Patterns of intergroup relations
Ethnic cleansing is the combination of population transfer and extermination.
The practice is done by removing a group using terror, expulsion, and mass murder.
The Serbian government sought to drive out and kill Albanians from Kosovo

28. Minority groups in the United States
Although Americans express support for equality, freedom, dignity of the individual, and inalienable rights, they have not always lived up to these ideals.
Enslavement and segregation of African Americans
Internment of Japanese Americans in WWII
Many people think of the typical American as a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant)
Minorities tend to be successful if they adapt to the WASP image.

29. Minority groups in the United States
African Americans
13.2% of Americans identify as African American
That’s about 6.8 million people
The Civil Rights Movement brought significant gains for African Americans

30. Minority groups in the United States
Hispanics
17.4% of Americans identify as Hispanic
That is 8.6 million people
Many enter through legal means while others arrive illegally for political freedom and economic opportunities

32. Minority groups in the United States
Asian Americans
5.4 % of Americans identify as Asian
That’s about 2.2 million people
Chinese Exclusion Act
Japanese Interment
Considered the “model minority”

33. Minority groups in the United States
Native Americans
Approximately 50% of Native Americans on or near reservations are unemployed
31% of all Native Americans live below poverty
The rate of alcohol related deaths is 7 times higher than the general population.
Only about 66% of Native Americans over 25 graduated from high school and only 10% graduate from college.

34. Minority groups in the United States
Native Americans were forced to assimilate to white society.
Many were taken from their parents and put into boarding schools to break ties with their culture
Those who lived off reservations and adopted white culture were given citizenship – 1/3 did not have citizenship until
Indian Citizenship Act of 1924

35. Minority groups in the United States
White Ethnics
This group tended to be from Ireland, Italy, France, Poland, and Greece in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
They were often Catholic and did not speak English
Most white ethnics have assimilated to white society to avoid discrimination.