Understanding the Key Terms

Define the following terms in your own words. Culture Ethnicity Race Multiculturalism

Culture The norms of a group of people. Including such things as food, music, race, gender, class, sexuality, customs, etc. Webster Dictionary: a :  the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. b :  the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also :  the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time. Examples: popular culture, southern culture.

Ethnicity The division of people into groups based on how the members of the group identify with each other. This can be on common ancestry, history, language, religion, etc. Webster Dictionary: a :  of or relating to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background <ethnic minorities> b :  being a member of a specified ethnic group <an ethnic German>

Race Since the late 18th century, race has been defined as the division of human beings into distinct ethnic groups that possess particular qualities or characteristics. Constructs of race in the 18th century were based on the idea that “white” people were superior and “nonwhites” were inferior. Webster Dictionary: a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits. A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality,  or geographic distribution. Example: the Celtic race. Typically determined by skin color and physical features common to a group of people that are inherited.

Multiculturalism Webster Dictionary: relating to or including many different cultures. The co-existence of diverse cultures, where culture includes racial, religious, or cultural groups and is manifested in customary behaviors, cultural assumptions and values, patterns of thinking, and communicative styles.

The Power of an Illusion The Difference Between Us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7_YHur3G9g