1. Race and Ethnicity
Sociology

2. Race: Myth and Reality
Race: A group of people with inherited physical characteristics (skin color, hair texture, eye hues) that distinguish it from another group.
Myths About Race
Some races are superior to other races
A “pure” race exists

3. Race: Myth and Reality
Genocide: The attempt to destroy a group of people because of their race or ethnicity.
Ex: Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust
Ex: Hutus vs. Tutsis in Rwanda
Race is arbitrary – biologists can’t agree on how many races exist

4. Ethnic Groups Ethnicity: Having distinctive cultural characteristics
Ethnic groups identify with each other on common ancestry and cultural heritage
Nation of Origin
Food
Clothing
Language
Music
Religion
Race and ethnicity are often confused
Ex: Jews are an ethnic group, not a race

5. Minority Groups and Dominant Groups
Minority Group: People who are singled out for unequal treatment and who regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.
Minorities share several conditions worldwide:
Their physical or cultural traits are held in low esteem by the dominant group
They are treated unfairly by the dominant group
They tend to marry within their own group

6. Minority Groups and Dominant Groups
The conditions in which minority groups live tend to create a sense of identity (“we-ness”) and common destiny.
Minority groups are not necessarily numerical minorities
Ex: British discrimination against Indians in India
Ex: Dutch discrimination (apartheid) against blacks in South Africa

7. Minority Groups and Dominant Groups
Dominant Group: The group with the most power, greatest privileges, and highest social status.
Often possesses political power
Unified by shared cultural traits

8. Minority Groups and Dominant Groups
A group becomes a minority in one of two ways:
Through the expansion of political boundaries
Ex: The U.S. taking over Mexico in 1848
Through migration (voluntary or involuntary)
Ex: Mexicans coming to the United States
Ex: African slaves being brought to the United States

9. Constructing Racial-Ethnic Identity
Heightened Sense of Ethnicity
Smaller Numbers
Lesser Power
Different from “National Identity”
Discrimination
Low Sense of Ethnicity
Part of the Majority
Greater Power
Similar to “National Identity”
No discrimination