Stratification: Race and Ethnicity

Racial Stratification  Race is a cultural construct  Based on perceived physical differences that imply hereditary differences  Used to justify social stratification  Impacts life chances

Racial Stratification  Invisible Race  Easier to assign people to a “race” when they have obvious physical differences but lack of differences does not stop invention of racial categories  For example, Burakumin of Japan

Racial Stratification  Racial labels associated with culture, character, morality, intelligence, personality, purity  Racial labels seen as inherited and unalterable - ascribed

Racial Stratification  People are treated differently based on attributes they are born with  Has economic political and psychological consequences

Racial Stratification  Rationalization by those with higher status  Social distinctions kept in place by force  Enough oppression triggers revolt

Racial Stratification  In the US  Based on skin color – black, white  History in slavery  Laws to control freed slaves after Civil War  Like a caste system, born into a group, marriage within group (by law), cultural distinction (jobs available), rank order (inferior/superior)  Race and social stratification  Buying a house/renting  Infant mortality rate

Racial Stratification  In Brazil  Brazil had slavery but race not reflected in law especially marriage law  More categories and not consistent assignment of people to racial categories  More equality in rural than city populations

Racial Stratification  In US and Brazil  Although attitudes are different stratification of economic status present in both  Brazil has accepting attitude about interracial relationships, but whites still wealthier, better educated  US has laws combating social stratification

Ethnicity and ethnic stratification  Ethnicity – perceived differences in culture, national origin, and historical experience by which groups are distinguished  Race = perceived physical differences, ethnicity = perceived cultural differences

Ethnicity and ethnic stratification  Essentialism - ethnicity as unchanging, historically rooted cultural differences like language  Social constructionism – ethnicity as changing concept based on conditions used to define groups of people

Nation-State and Ethnicity  Nation-State – a state government thst unites its people by creating a common history and culture  Modern nation-states are composed of many ethnicities who share national identity  National identity fostered by interpretation of history (raising flag at Iwo Jima), ceremonies that encourage allegiance and make it feel natural

Nation-State and Ethnicity  How the Nation-state shapes ethnicity  Ethnic group in power marginalizes others  Control of education, choosing textbooks  Law and the courts  Adopt some aspects of minority ethnicity as state identity, ignore others  For example, Jamaica and Rastafarian music

Nation-State and Ethnicity  Nation-State and ethnic conflict  Many recent ethnic conflicts have recent roots  More about power than ethnic identity  Politicians play minor differences against each other arousing fear and hatred  For Example Yugoslavia, small language and religious differences exploited by politicians leads to violent ethnic cleansing and break up of the nation-state

Nation-State and Ethnicity  Nation-State and indigenous people  When incorporated into nation-state, indigenous people lose political and economic autonomy  Law used to limit culture, take land, marginalize  State sees indigenous as standing in the way of national economic development

Nation-State and Ethnicity  Nation-State and indigenous people  Saami of northern Scandinavia  Hunted wild reindeer for 2000 years  Last 400 years herding reindeer  Norwegian government now regulating movement and size of herds  Gov’t sees herding as interfering with agriculture

Ethnicity in the US  Ethnic identity  Changes over time  “races” of European descent kept out by discriminatory immigration laws became “white ethnics” in the 1960’s in response to protest movements

Ethnicity in the US  Immigration  No single immigrant experience  Different groups restricted at different times  How should immigrants be incorporated  Assimilation – people should abandon culture in favor of American culture  Multiculturalism – cultural diversity is good

Ethnicity in the US  Immigration  Transnationalism – when immigrants maintain close ties with native country often through frequent visits