Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Chapter 10
Introduction to Sociology 12e
by Henry L. Tischler
Learning Objectives
Describe the genetic, legal, and social approaches to defining race.
Explain the concept of ethnic group.
Know how the sociological concept of minority is used.
Understand the relationship between prejudice and discrimination.
Recognize the effect of institutionalized prejudice and discrimination.
Discuss the history of immigration to the United States.
Describe the characteristics of the major racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
The Concept of Race
A category of people who are defined as similar because of a number of physical characteristics
Historical Means for Defining Race
Genetic – gene frequency and differences
Legal – most commonly determined by lack of “whiteness”
Social definition – membership based on presentation of self
Inherent problems in all means
Variables of Racial Definition
Multiracial ancestry
Children born to parents of multiple races represent more than one race
Ancestors come from more than one race
Interracial marriage
Marriage between two people of differing racial groups
The Concept of Ethnic Group
A group with distinct cultural tradition that its own members identify with and that may or may not be recognized by others
The Concept of Minority
A group of people who, because of physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from others in society for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination
Problems in Race and Ethnic Relations
Prejudice
An irrationally based negative – or occasionally positive – attitude toward certain groups and their members
Causes of Prejudice
Draws together those who hold it
Eases conscience of exploiters in depriving others based on perception of competitors as somehow less than human or inherently unworthy
Allows projection onto others of those parts of ourselves that we do not like and therefore try to avoid facing
Discrimination
Differential treatment, usually unequal and injurious, accorded to individuals who are assumed to belong to a particular category or group
Types of Discriminators
Unprejudiced discriminators
Those who constantly think of expediency
Unprejudiced nondiscriminators
Neither prejudiced against the members of other racial and ethnic groups nor do they practice discrimination
Prejudiced discriminators
Do not accept the ideal of equality for all but conform to it and give it lip service when the slightest pressure is applied
Prejudiced nondiscriminators
Do not believe in equality; openly express and act on their feelings of intolerance
Institutional Prejudice and Discrimination
Complex societal arrangements that restrict the life chance and choices of a specially defined group in comparison with those of the dominant group
Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Relations
Assimilation
Pluralism
Subjugation
Segregation
Expulsion
Annihilation
Assimilation
The process whereby groups with different cultures come to have a common culture
Fusion of cultural heritages
Integration of new elements with old ones
Transfer of culture from one group to another
Includes problem of selection
Ancient ideologies, habits, customs, attitudes, language
Pluralism
The development and coexistence of separate racial and ethnic group identities within a society
Philosophical viewpoint that attempts to produce what is considered to be a desirable social situation
Celebrates the differences among groups of people
Implies a hostility to existing inequalities
Provides a means for minorities to resist the pull of assimilation
Assumes that the minority is a primary unit of society; whole depends on harmony of the parts
Subjugation
The subordination of one group and the assumption of a position of authority, power, and domination by the other
Segregation
A form of subjugation
The act, process, or state of being set apart
Places limits and restrictions on the contact, communication, and social relations among groups
Expulsion
The process of forcing a group to leave the territory in which it lives
Can be accomplished through forced migration
The relocation of a group through direct action
Annihilation
The deliberate extermination of a racial or ethnic group
Racial and Ethnic Immigration to the United States
Two perspectives of white ethnic immigration:
Old migration
People from northern Europe who came before the 1880s
New migration
Much larger in numbers
People from southern and eastern Europe who came between 1880 and 1920
Contemporary Immigration
Legal immigration
Strongly connected to family ties
Latino, Asian, European, other (in order of numbers)
Illegal immigration
2015 U.S. Census estimated 11.3 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States
5.6 million from Mexico
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and China comprise bulk of remainder
America’s Ethnic Composition Today
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, March 2001. “Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin”; U.S. Bureau of the Census. 2000 Brief. Population Projections Program.
Contemporary Ethnic Groups
White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs)
African Americans
Hispanics (Latinos)
Mexican Americans
Puerto Ricans
Cuban Americans
Asian Americans
Native Americans
A Diverse Society
Complex and constantly changing
Evolving trends
Resurgent ethnic identity movements
Not a melting pot
Simplistic, idealistic concept
Dependent on mutual respect