Sociology chapter 8

• Distinguishable from dominant groups
• Excluded or denied full participation
• Less access to power and resources; evaluated less favorably
• Stereotyped, ridiculed, condemned, or otherwise defamed
• Develop collective identities

is a group within the human species that is identified by a society as presumably having certain biologically inherited physical characteristics

Racial classifications have been based on numerous physical characteristics

• •Mongoloid
• •Caucasoid
• •Negroid
• •Australoid
• Later 30 more racial subcategories were created

• All people are born free and equal both in dignity and in rights
• •Racism stultifies personal development
• •(Racial) conflicts cost nations money and resources
• •Racism foments international conflict

• is the idea from Symbolic interaction theory that social consequences constitute reality
• People assigned group membership, in part, on physical appearance
• All individuals classify objects, including humans
• Classifications used to scientifically study humans
• Classifications can provide individuals with an identity

• Two in five African Americans are middle-class
• Majority of urban, black underclass are unemployed

• are groups where membership is based on shared cultural heritage and other cultural factors and is often connected with a national or geographic identity
• •Many racial groups are ethnic groups
• •Some ethnic groups are concentrated in ethnic enclaves

is the incorporation of stereotyped behavior into an individual’s view of themselves

is a theory which states that acts of prejudice and discrimination are motivated by anger and frustration individuals feel when they cannot achieve their work or goals

is a form of aggressive action motivated by frustration against minority groups because an individual is unable to vent frustration toward the real target or cause

is an attempt to justify racism on the basis of a pseudoscientific set of ideas

people insist they are not prejudiced or racist, yet oppose social policies that would eliminate racism and make true equality of opportunity possible

involves discrimination that is hidden within the system

is built into the law or is part of the explicit policies of an organization

results from broad policies that favor one group and disadvantage another

practices in one institutional area that have a negative impact because they are linked to practices in another institutional area

practices from the past that may no longer be allowed but that continue to affect people today

• Who has more power
• The needs of the domination group for commodities (labor and/or other resources)
• The cultural norms of each group
• The social histories of the group
• The physical and cultural identifiers of the group
• The times and circumstances

is the systematic effort of a dominant group to destroy a minority

refers to the subordination of one group to another that holds power and authority

refers to the removal of a minority group from a region or country

refers to the structural and cultural merging of minority and majority groups (minority loses their original identity)

occurs when each ethnic or racial group in a country maintains its own culture and separate set of institutions but has recognized equity in society (i.e., Switzerland)

• If two groups of people are identifiably different then “we” versus “they” thinking may develop
• If the groups come into conflict over scarce resources that both groups want for themselves, hostilities are very likely to arise
• If one group has much more power than the other, intense dislike between the two groups and misrepresentation of each group by the other is virtually inescapable

(a branch of conflict theory)-- characterizes the labor market as having two levels

clean jobs

minorities, especially from the urban underclass, are most likely to work in this market

• A cheap pool of labors who are in and out of work serves several functions for society
• •A cheap pool of labor provides a labor force to do “dirty work”
• •They make occupational which service the poor possible
• •They buy goods others do not want
• •They set examples for others of what not to be
• •They allow others to feel good about giving to charity

• •They result in a loss of human resources
• •They cost society due to poverty and crime
• •They maintain hostilities between groups
• •And they fuel disrespect for those in power

• Unequal life chances, health, and access to property
• Victims can also have low self-esteem from devalued status in society

• Lose the talents of individuals they exclude
• Government subsidies cost millions but made necessary by lack of opportunities for minority individuals

Attempts to justify racism by stereotyping and labeling

• Assimilation – accommodation to prejudice and discrimination
• Acceptance – live with minority status with little overt challenge to the system
• Avoidance – shunning all contact with the dominant group
• Aggression – results from anger and resentment over minority status and from subjugation may lead to retaliation or violence
• Change-oriented Action – minority groups pursue social change in meso and macro-levels of society

human relations workshops, group encounters and therapy

integrated housing projects, job programs to promote minority hiring, busing children to schools

lobbying, watchdog monitoring, education information dissemination, protest marches, rallies, and boycotts

is a social policy created to change the unequal distribution of resources

is a policy that involves affirmative or positive steps to make sure that unintended discrimination does not occur

are policies that require employers to hire a certain percentage of minorities (now considered unconstitutional and therefore illegal)

are policies based on the belief that sometime people must be treated differently in order to treat them fairly and to create equality

• Eliminate qualifications that are not substantially related to the job that unwittingly favor members of the dominant group
• Foster achievement of objectives of the organization that are only possible through enhanced diversity