Chapter 10 Race and Ethnicity Key Terms

race A category of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior, often on the basis of physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, and eye shape. ethnic group A collection of people distinguished, by others or by themselves, primarily on the basis of cultural or nationality characteristics.

majority (dominant) group Group that is advantaged and has superior resources and rights in a society. minority (subordinate) group A group whose members, because of physical or cultural characteristics, are disadvantaged and subjected to unequal treatment by the dominant group and who regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.

prejudice A negative attitude based on faulty generalizations about the members of selected racial and ethnic groups. stereotypes Overgeneralizations about the appearance, behavior, or other characteristics of members of particular categories.

racism A set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices that is used to justify the superior treatment of one racial or ethnic group and the inferior treatment of another racial or ethnic group. scapegoat A person or group that is incapable of offering resistance to the hostility or aggression of others.

authoritarian personality Characterized by excessive conformity, submissiveness to authority, intolerance, insecurity, a high level of superstition, and rigid, stereotypic thinking. social distance The extent to which people are willing to interact and establish relationships with members of racial and ethnic groups other than their own.

discrimination Actions or practices of dominant group members that have a harmful impact on members of a subordinate group. genocide The deliberate, systematic killing of an entire people or nation.

individual discrimination One‑on‑one acts by members of the dominant group that harm members of the subordinate group or their property. institutional discrimination Day‑to‑day practices of organizations and institutions that have a harmful impact on members of subordinate groups.

assimilation A process by which members of subordinate racial and ethnic groups become absorbed into the dominant culture. ethnic pluralism The coexistence of a variety of distinct racial and ethnic groups within one society.

segregation Spatial and social separation of categories of people by race, ethnicity, class, gender and/or religion. internal colonialism Occurs when members of a racial or ethnic group are conquered or colonized and forcibly placed under the economic and political control of the dominant group.

split labor market The division of the economy into a primary sector composed of higher paid workers in more secure jobs, and a secondary sector composed of lower-paid workers in jobs with little security and hazardous working conditions.