1. Race & Ethnicity

2. Racial & Ethnic Minorities
Dominant Groups – the group of people in a society that has the power
Establishes the values and norms of the society
Creates a social structure that operates in its favor

3. Racial & Ethnic Minorities
Minority Groups
Any recognizable group in a society that suffers some disadvantage due to prejudice or discrimination by the dominant group

4. Racial Groups
The concept of race is based on observable physical differences among people resulting from biological traits
Sociologists do not research the biology of race; they are interested in race as it relates to the social structure

5. Racial Groups
The US Census Bureau collects data on five racial categories:
White, not Hispanic
Black
Hispanic
Asian & Pacific Islander
American Indian, Eskimo, & Aleut

6. Ethnic Groups
Based on such cultural factors as national origin, religion, language, norms, and values

7. Characteristics of Minority Groups
Shared physical or cultural characteristics – race, religion, ancestry, language, and customs
Ascribed Statuses – membership in a group is not voluntary
Group Solidarity – often resulting from long-term prejudice and discrimination. “Us vs. Them”
Endogamy – members of a minority group often marry within that same group

8. Patterns of Repression & Response

9. Repression of minorities by the dominate group has taken on 4 forms:
Forced Removal – a minority population is transferred to a separate geographic region
Segregation – a minority group is kept separate from the dominant population. Can be based on laws (de jure) or informal norms (de facto).
Subjugation – maintaining control over the minority by force
Annihilation – the destruction of a targeted minority population (genocide)

10. Minority groups have often responded to these negative forms of treatment in 3 ways:
Submission & Acceptance – deferring to members of the dominant culture and learning to “get along”
Withdrawal – avoiding contact with the dominant culture through self-segregation
Agitation & Violence – protesting minority status and unequal treatment

11. Which is a Better Approach?
Melting Pot - Assimilation
The Salad Bowl – Cultural pluralism

12. Prejudice & Discrimination

13. Prejudice
A negative attitude towards an entire category of people, often an ethnic or racial minority

14. Discrimination
The denial of opportunities and equal rights to people based on their group membership

15. Roots of Prejudice
A certain amount of prejudice comes from our tendency to generalize
Prejudice becomes a problem when the preformed judgment remains unchanged even after the facts show it to be inaccurate

16. Psychological Roots:
May serve a psychological function for dominant-group members who feel frustrated, insecure, or inferior
Scapegoating – placing the blame for troubles on an innocent individual or group

17. Cultural & Social Roots:
Ethnocentrism – the belief in the superiority of one’s own culture group
May lead to racism – the belief that one race is superior to others
Economic & Political Conflict – culturally separate groups often live in the same geographic area and compete for the same limited resources
Competition can lead to grievances that are passed down from generation to generation

18. Discrimination – 3 Types:
Legal Discrimination – supported by law. Less common now than a few decades ago, but frequently occurred in history
Non-legal Discrimination – not supported by law, but results from actions by individuals; far more common than legal discrimination
Institutional Discrimination – the denial of opportunities and equal rights that result from the normal operations of a society

19. Minority Groups in the United States

20. African Americans Make up 12.1% of the US population
Nationwide, 55% of African Americans reside in the central cities of metropolitan areas
African Americans have made impressive gains since the ending of slavery, but statistics still show continuing inequalities

21. African Americans Continuing Inequalities
The percentage of African Americans completing four or more years of college is about half that of whites
In 2010, the mean income for African American families was $27,900 compared to $44,000 for white families
In 2010, the unemployment rate for African Americans was 7.7% compared to 3.9% for whites
In 2010, 23.6% of the African American population lived below the poverty line, compared to 7.7% for whites

22. Latinos Second largest minority in the US, soon to become the largest
Latino groups share common language and some cultural characteristics, although cultural customs vary widely among different nationalities.

23. Latinos
Statistics from the 2010 census reflect inequalities between Latinos & the white majority
10.6% of Latino adults had completed college, compared with 28.1% of non-Hispanic whites
The median household income was 76% that whites
22.8% of all Latinos living in the US live below the poverty line

24. The 3 largest Latino groups are:
Mexican Americans – highest concentrations are in California & Texas
Puerto Ricans – populations are concentrated in large eastern cities
Cuban Americans – as a group, Cuban Americans have the highest rate of income, rate of employment, and proportion of professionals of all Hispanic Americans

25. Asian Americans
Constitute 4% of the American population. The six largest groups in America are from:
China – largest number of Asians living in the US
Japan
The Philippines
India
Korea
Vietnam

26. Asian Americans
Have been called a “model” minority group because they have succeeded economically, socially, and educationally
Southeast Asians living in the US have the highest welfare dependency of any racial or ethnic group

27. Native Americans The nation’s most poverty stricken minority
About 14% are unemployed
About 32% live below the poverty line; the numbers are higher on reservations
Less then 10% have graduated from college
The suicide rate among Native Americans is almost twice as high as in the general population
About one-third of Native American deaths are alcohol related

28. White Ethnics
Caucasian immigrants who are not white, Anglo-Saxon and protestant
Faced difficulties in acclimating to American society and competing with American-born workers for jobs
Experienced prejudice and open hostility, often violence
Tended to live near each other in large cities