1. Race and Racism: Some Basic Ideas Roderick Graham Rhode Island College Race and Cyberspace

2. Social Construction Essential to the understanding of race and racism. How we see the world is produced, built, or constructed through social interaction This means that 1. How we see the world can change 2. Social phenomena have different meanings for different people You Family Peers Mass Media School

3. Terminology (Categories) Race – socially constructed category of people who share phenotype Ethnicity – socially constructed category of people who share a heritage

4. Terminology (Categories) Social construction is a two step process 1. The boxes must be constructed 2. The contents of the box must be constructed I have given you the boxes…what is in those boxes? ?? ??

5. Terminology (Beliefs) Stereotyping – simplified description applied to everyone in a category Prejudice – generalization about a category Racism – belief that one racial category is superior to another

6. Terminology (Processes) Discrimination – unequal treatment of a category Institutional discrimination – unequal treatment of a category in a society’s institutions

7. Categories and Processes Construction of racial category Beliefs about category Actions because of this belief There is a self- reinforcing nature between these categories and processes

8. Categories and Processes Construction of racial category Beliefs about category Actions because of this belief 1.The category black is constructed 2.The stereotype is constructed that all blacks are lazy 3.Employers do not hire blacks

9. Terminology (Types of Racism) Classical Racism – belief in the innate genetic inferiority of a racial category o Some racial groups are less intelligent, and therefore need to be treated differently under the law New Racism – belief in the cultural inferiority of racial category o Some racial groups do not possess the proper cultural and moral makeup to excel in western capitalist society

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