Chapter 3 Racial and Ethnic Inequality

Race and Ethnicity Race – socially constructed category based on physical traits that members of a society define as important. Ethnicity – shared cultural heritage.

Immigration The “Great Immigration” ( ) – 25 million people. Quota System enacted by Congress in the 1920s. Quota system ended in 1965, leading to another wave of immigration. Current Immigration Controversy. Illegal immigration an issue?

Minorities Minority – any category of people, identified by physical or cultural traits, that a society subjects to disadvantages. 1.Visibility 2.Power 3.Numbers

Patterns of Interaction Genocide – systematic killing of one category of people Segregation – physical and social separation of categories of people Assimilation – process by which minorities gradually adopt cultural patterns from the dominant majority population Pluralism – state in which people of all racial and ethnic categories have about the same overall social standing

The Social Standing of U.S. Minorities Native Americans African Americans Asian Americans Hispanic Americans/Latinos Arab Americans

Prejudice and Stereotype Prejudice – rigid generalizations about an entire category of people (a prejudgment) –Stereotype – exaggerated description applied to every person in some category Racism – assertion that people of one race are less worthy than or even biologically inferior to others.

Measuring Prejudice: The Social Distance Scale Emory Bogardus (1925) measured prejudice among students in universities and colleges. Greater social distance/less acceptance against minorities regardless of their own race and ethnicity. Parrillo and Donoghue (2001) repeated the social distance scale and average response dropped.

Institutional Racism Institutional Racism – racism imbedded in the operation of social institutions in society, including the economy, schools, hospitals, criminal justice system, etc. –Racial profiling police, hiring practices, schools, etc.

Theoretical Analysis Structural Functional – racial and ethnic inequality is a reflection of culture. Social-Conflict – race and ethnicity used to weaken lower classes. Symbolic Interaction – race as a master status in everyday interaction