Module 31: Minority, Racial, and Ethnic Groups Sociology in Modules Richard T. Schaefer 3rd edition

What impact has diversity had on society?

Race and Ethnicity affect people’s place and status in a stratification system Racial gap in U.S. arrest rates: 'Staggering disparity‘ – USA Today Nov 2014 At least 70 departments scattered from Connecticut to California arrested black people at a rate 10 times higher than people who are not black, USA TODAY found.

Peaceful, violent protests erupt in Charlotte after police shooting By Francesca Amiker - Reporter Huffington Post Posted: 9:44 PM, September 22, 2016 The Truth About Racism In America Where is the solution? It starts with us –the privileged. Huffington Post 09/21/2016 05:14 pm ET | Updated Sep 22, 2016

Is racism on the rise. More in U. S Is racism on the rise? More in U.S. say it's a 'big problem,' CNN/KFF poll finds Overall, 49% of Americans in the poll say racism is a big problem in the country, up from 28% four years ago. 66% of blacks and 64% of Hispanics call it a big problem, compared to 43% of whites. About seven in 10 whites say they live (69%) or socialize with (68%) people who are mostly of the same race as them, and six in 10 employed whites have co-workers who are mostly other white people (60%). Hispanics and blacks are more apt to report more diverse neighborhoods, social circles and workplaces.

Minority Racial and Ethnic Groups Racial group: group set apart from others because of obvious physical differences Skin, hair color Facial features Ethnic group: group set apart from others primarily because of its national origin or distinctive cultural patterns Language lifestyle

Minority groups “ Any group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from others in the society in which they live for differential or unequal treatment and therefore regard themselves as object of collective discrimination” L. Wirth

Minority Groups Minority group: subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives Properties of minority groups include: Unequal treatment – denial to rent Distinguishing physical or cultural characteristics Involuntary membership –ascribed status Solidarity – in-group In-group marriage

Race Race – socially constructed category of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members consider as important Research shows that race is not a meaningful way of differentiating people Racial group refers to minorities set apart due to physical differences

Race is socially constructed Biological differences are natural In regions of intense heat - natural dark pigmentation

Race Social Construction of Race Society socially constructs which differences are important Example - skin color socialization process makes us aware that skin color has social and political meaning Meaning of race differs from place to place Racial categories in the US Vs. in Brazil Blanca (white) Parda (brown) Morena (brunette) Mulata (mulatto) Prets (black)

Race is a fluid concept Names for racial categories also change “Negroid” Negro African American Skin color is also a subjective What is considered “white” varies

How race is socially constructed --- Racial differences are preserved through Racial formation - sociohistorical process in which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed Creation of reservation system for Native Americans – all tribes are combined “One-drop rule” – if a person had even a single drop of black blood that person was defined and viewed as black Irish immigrants were not considered as white (initially)

Race Recognition of Multiple Identities 1900: DuBois predicted “the color line” as foremost problem of 20th century Inter-racial marriages have blurred the color line to some extent Immigration from Latin America shows fluid nature of race formation – third major race in the US - 2010 Census: over 9 million people in U.S. reported they were of two or more races Half the people classified as multiracial under age 18

Ethnicity Ethnic group set apart from others because of its national origin or distinctive cultural patterns Examples – Latino, Jewish, Irish Distinction between racial and ethnic groups not always clear – Asian Americans – significant differences Distinction between racial and ethnic groups socially significant – racial differences are more visible and stratification along the racial lines is more resistant to change

Ethnicity – Shared cultural heritage Ethnicity describes shared cultural – the practices, values and beliefs of a group Shared language Religion Traditions

Figure 31-1: Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States, 1500–2060 (Projected) 18

Stereotypes, Prejudice and discrimination Stereotypes – oversimplified generalizations Race Ethnicity Age Sexual orientation They can be positive (our own group), but mostly negative about others

Prejudice and Discrimination Historic achievements of racial and ethnic minorities, but bias-related incidents continue College campus incidents: Student-run newspapers and radio stations Degrading minorities White supremacist organizations Violent clashes between White and Black students

Prejudice Prejudice: negative attitude toward an entire category of people Ethnocentrism: tendency to assume one’s culture and way of life are superior to others Racism: belief that one race is supreme and others are innately inferior Hate crimes Stereotypes: unreliable generalizations about all members of a group that do not recognize individual differences within the group

Color-Blind Racism Color-blind racism: use of principle of race neutrality to defend racially unequal status quo – Idea that society should be color-blind perpetuates racial inequality opposition to affirmative action and welfare No objection to white privilege – alumni admissions, tax breaks for home owners (majority white), college aid for students (majority white) Color line still in place, even if more people refuse to acknowledge its existence most people believe that we have achieved racial equality.

Discriminatory Behavior Discrimination: denial of opportunities and equal rights to people on an arbitrary basis Prejudiced attitudes are not the same as discriminatory behavior Discrimination persists even for the most educated and qualified minority group members Glass ceiling: invisible barrier blocking promotion of qualified individuals in work environment because of gender, race, or ethnicity

Devah Pager conducted a matched-pair experiment in which she had male testers apply for the same entry-level jobs advertised in Milwaukee newspapers. She gave the assistants fake credentials that make them equivalent in terms of education, job experience, and so on. Half were Black and half White.

The Privileges of the Dominant White privilege: rights or immunities granted to people as a benefit or favor simply because they are White Institutional Discrimination Denial of opportunities and equal rights that results from operations of a society Affirmative action: positive efforts to recruit minority members or women for jobs, promotions, and educational opportunities

Module 32: Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity Sociology in Modules Richard T. Schaefer 3rd edition

  Table 1. Selected Indicators of Racial and Ethnic Inequality in the United States White African American Latino Asian   Native American Median family income, 2009 ($) 67,341 38,409 39,730 75,027 39,740 (2007) Persons who are college educated, 2008 (%) 32.6 19.6 13.3 52.6 12.9 (2007) Persons in poverty, 2009 (%) 9.4 25.8 25.3 12.5 24.2 (2008) Infant mortality (number of infant deaths per 1,000 births), 2005 5.8 13.6 5.6 4.9 8.1

Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity Functionalists: racial prejudice and discrimination positive for dominant groups Conflict theorists: economic structure a central factor in exploitation of minorities Labeling theorists: ways minorities are singled out for differential treatment by law enforcement Interactionists: everyday contact contributes to tolerance or hostility

Functionalist Perspective Nash’s three functions that racially prejudiced beliefs provide to the dominant group: Moral justification for maintaining unequal society Discourage subordinate groups from questioning their status Suggest that any major social change would bring greater poverty to the minority

Functionalist Perspective Rose: dysfunctions associated with racism Society that practices discrimination fails to use resources of all individuals Discrimination aggravates social problems Society must invest time and money to defend barriers to full participation Racial prejudice undercuts goodwill and diplomatic relations between nations

Conflict Perspective Exploitation theory: racism keeps minorities in low-paying jobs and supplies dominant group with cheap labor. Workers form the dominants groups who demand higher wages can always be replaced by minorities who are willing to accept low paying jobs. Racism is viewed from economic lens – the fear that immigrants will take the jobs away We direct our anger towards the minorities, but not towards those who hire them. Its often easy to target those with less power.

Labeling Perspective Racial profiling: arbitrary action initiated by an authority based on race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than on person’s behavior Practice often based on explicit stereotypes Continues despite overwhelming evidence that profiling is misleading In 2010, 53 percent of Americans favored “ethnic and religious profiling” of air travelers

Interactionist Perspective Contact hypothesis: interracial contact between people of equal status in cooperative circumstances will cause them to become less prejudiced and to abandon old stereotypes

Spectrum of Intergroup Relations Racial and ethnic groups can relate to one another in a variety of ways, from friendships and intermarriages to hostility Genocide: deliberate, systematic killing of an entire people or nation Expulsion of a people: another extreme means of acting out racial or ethnic prejudice Secession: failure to resolve ethnic or racial conflict results in drawing formal boundaries between the groups

Segregation Segregation: physical separation of two groups of people in terms of residence, workplace, social events Generally, dominant group imposes pattern on minority group Apartheid: Republic of South Africa severely restricted the movement of Blacks and non-Whites US Census data – residential segragation in US cities

Amalgamation Amalgamation: happens when majority group and minority group combine to form a new group Belief in the U.S. as a “melting pot” does not adequately describe dominant- subordinate relations in the U.S.

Assimilation Assimilation: process through which a person forsakes his or her cultural tradition to become part of a different culture Example – take English name Assimilation progressed further in the U.S. than in Europe, although more slowly than in Canada

Pluralism Pluralism: based on mutual respect among various groups in a society for one another’s cultures In U.S., pluralism more of an ideal than a reality Switzerland exemplifies pluralistic state – lack of national language and state religion

Module 33: Race and Ethnicity in the United States Sociology in Modules Richard T. Schaefer 3rd edition

Race and Ethnicity in the United States Racial and ethnic makeup of present-day society determined by: Immigration Colonialism Slavery

Figure 33-1: Minority Population by County 41

African Americans One out of every four Blacks is poor Contemporary institutional discrimination and individual prejudice against African Americans rooted in history of slavery Civil Rights movement of the 1960s Black power: rejected assimilation into White middle-class society Blacks suffer in terms of their life chances Blacks remain significantly underrepresented

Native Americans About 2.2 million Native Americans represent array of cultures Life remains difficult for 554 tribal groups By 1990s, increasing number claim identity as Native American 2009: federal government settled 13-year-old lawsuit for recovery of lease payments due on tribal lands Introduction of gambling on Indian reservations transformed the lives of some

Asian Americans One of the fastest growing segments of U.S. population Diverse groups of people Ironically often held up as unqualified success story Asian immigrants found disproportionately in low-paying service occupations Better-educated Asian Americans concentrated near top in professional and managerial positions

Figure 33-2: Asian American and Pacific Islander Population by Origin 45

Asian Americans Chinese Americans Asian Indians Encouraged to immigrate to U.S. from 1850 to 1880 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act Now, over 3 million Chinese Americans Asian Indians Second largest Asian group Number over 2.8 million Diverse population

Asian Americans Filipino Americans 2.6 million in U.S. Classified as Asian but also reflect centuries of Spanish and U.S. colonial rule Significant percentage are well-educated professionals who work in health care Drained medical establishment in the Philippines Send significant amount of their income back to their extended families (remittances) Strong loyalty to family and Catholic church have precluded need for social organizations

Asian Americans Vietnamese Americans Korean Americans Primarily came to U.S. during and after Vietnam War Gravitated toward the larger urban areas Korean Americans Over 1.4 million Korean Americans in the U.S. Initial wave between 1903 and 1910 Second wave after Korean War in 1953 Third wave started with 1965 Immigration Act

Asian Americans Japanese Americans Issei: first generation of Japanese immigrants In August 1943, 113,000 Japanese Americans forced into camps in response to World War II In 1988, U.S. established $1.25 billion trust fund to pay reparations

Arab Americans Nearly 4 million people of Arab ancestry reside in the U.S. Cannot be characterized as having specific family type, gender role, or occupational pattern Profiling of potential terrorists has put Arab and Muslim Americans under surveillance

Figure 33-3: Arab American Religious Affiliations 51

Latinos Largest minority in the U.S. with more than 50 million Census Bureau data: Latino population now outnumbers African American population in 6 of the 10 largest U.S. metropolitan areas Groups share heritage of Spanish language and culture, which can cause serious problems in assimilation

Latinos Mexican Americans Accounted for 42 percent of the nation’s population growth in the 2000–2010 decade Subdivided into those descended from residents of annexed territories after the Mexican-American War and those who have immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. Since at least 2000, Mexican Americans born in the U.S. far exceeded those who immigrated

Social policy and Racial and Ethnic Inequality: Global Immigration Worldwide, immigration at all-time high Each year, about 191 million people move from one country to another Mass migrations have had tremendous social impact Who should be allowed in? When should immigration be curtailed?