Chapter 1Exploring Race and EthnicityTable 1.1 .docx

Chapter 1
Exploring Race and Ethnicity
Table 1.1: Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States
© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Note: All data for 2009 except three racial groups listed at top,
Hispanic total and subgroups, and total population figure, which
are for 2010. Percentages do not total 100 percent, and subheads
do not add up to totals in major categories because of overlap
between groups (e.g., Polish American Jews or people of mixed
ancestry such as Irish and Italian). Source: 2009 data from
American Community Survey 2010:Tables B02006, B03001,
C04006; 2010 data from Davidson and Pyle 2011:117; Ennis et
al. 2011; Humes et al. 2011.
*
Table 1.1: Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States
Figure 1.1: Population of the US by Race & Ethnicity, 2010 &

2050
According to projections by the Census Bureau, the proportion
of residents of the United States who are White and non-
Hispanic will decrease significantly by the year 2015. By
contrast, there will be a striking rise in the proportion of both
Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans
*
Sociology of Intergroup RelationsTheoretical
PerspectivesFunctionalism; Conflict Theory; Labeling
TheorySubordinate groups created by processes of:Immigration;
Annexation; Colonialism
Sociology of Intergroup RelationsProcess of expulsion may
remove the presence of a subordinate
groupAssimilationDemands subordinate-group conformity
Sociology of Intergroup RelationsPluralismImplies mutual
respect between diverse groupsAssimilation & pluralism are
significant for racial & ethnic oppression in the US today

What is a Subordinate group?What does and does not determine
minority group status?Minority status is not based on the size of
a groupMinority/Majority group membership is not necessarily
mutually exclusive
What is a Subordinate group?Minority status may vary
according to geopolitical boundariesMinority/Majority is related
to the
distribution of power
What is a Subordinate group?What are the five characteristics
that defines a minority/subordinate group? 1. Unequal treatment
and less power over one’s life2. Distinguishing physical or
cultural traits that the dominant group holds in low regard
What is a Subordinate group?3. Involuntary membership or
ascribed status4. Group solidarity awareness of subordinate
status and oppression5. Marital endogamy - patterns of in-group
marriage

Types of Subordinate GroupsRacial groups Groups that are set
apart on the basis of obvious physical differences within a
society What’s obvious is relative to the group/societyEthnic
groupsGroups that are set apart on the basis of cultural traits
and nationality
Types of Subordinate GroupsReligious groupsConsists of
religious associations that are set apart from the dominant
religionGender groups - such as women who are set apart on the
basis of sexOther subordinate groupsSet apart by age, disability,
sexual orientation
Does Race Matter?Biological school of thought and meaning of
raceAbsence of Pure RacesIntelligence TestsRacial groups as
genetically discrete population groups
Does Race Matter?Based on the following:There are
subpopulations within the human raceSub-groups may be
distinguished biologically from another based on genetic traits

Criticisms of the Biological ViewIdea of Biological Race is
based on notion of a genetically isolated human groupWithin a
group, variations are greater than differences between
groupsHuman species contain no subgroups
Criticisms of the Biological ViewGenetic traits are continuous
so it is impossible to state: Where one group begins and ends
and another startsEach trait is independent from the other
Social Construction of RaceRace is important because of the
social meaning people have attached to itRace is a social
construct based on how: People define themselves and others on
physical and social characteristics
Social Construction of RaceRacial classifications as a function
of how: People define, label and categorize themselves and
others into groupsRacismThe feeling that certain groups or
races are inherently superior to others

Racial FormationA socio-historical process by which racial
categories are:Created, inhibited, transformed, &
destroyedPowerful define groups of people in a way that
depends on a racist social structureDominant group has the
power to impose its racial definitions onto others
Who Am I?Ethnic IdentityNon-ethnicsPanethnicityEthnicity as
a political and bureaucratic administrative
processMarginalityThe status of being between two cultures
Stratification by Class and GenderStratificationStructured
ranking of groups that perpetuates unequal rewards & power in
a societyClass or Social RankingPeople who share similar
wealth, according to Weber’s definitionMobility may be
difficult
Sociology and the Study of
Race and EthnicityEthnic and racial stratification The structure
and process by which race and ethnicity determines life chances
and access:To socially desirable resources such as housing,

justice, education, wealth, power, etc.Stratification is
interconnected byRace, Ethnicity, Religion, Age, Gender
Theoretical PerspectivesFunctionalist PerspectiveSociety is like
a living organism; each part contributes to the whole and
emphasizes how: Parts of society are structured to maintain
stabilityThe five functions of racial inequalityRacist ideologies
provides justification for unequal treatment
Theoretical PerspectivesDiscourages subordinate people from
attempting to question their low statusJustify existing practices
but also serves as a rallying point for social movementsRacists
beliefs provide support for the existing social order
Theoretical PerspectivesEconomic & educational problems of
subordinate groupsDysfunctions of racial inequalityFail to
utilize human potential & limits search for talent & leadership
to dominant groupAggravates social problems; financial burden
of alleviating problems on dominant group

Theoretical PerspectivesInvestment of time and money to
defend barriers that prevent full participation of allUndermines
diplomatic ties between nations and affect efforts to increase
global tradeInhibits social change Promotes disrespect for law
enforcement and the peaceful settlements of disputes
Conflict PerspectiveAssumes social structure is understood in
terms of conflict/tension between groupsSubordinate group
criticized for low status & dominant’s group responsibility
ignoredRyan (1976)“Blaming the Victim” –portraying problems
of racial and ethnic minorities as their fault
Labeling ApproachConcern over blaming the victim is titled
labeling theoryAttempt to explain why certain people are
viewed as deviant And others engaging in the same behavior are
notStereotypesGeneralizations about members of a group
The Creation of
Subordinate-Group StatusMigration Emigration or leaving an
area to move elsewhere such as the Irish leaving
IrelandImmigration or coming into an area such as the Irish
coming to the United StatesMay be voluntary or it may be
involuntaryDue to a combination of push and pull factors

The Creation of
Subordinate-Group StatusAnnexationAn indigenous group is
incorporated into another societyColonialismPolitical, socio-
cultural, economic domination of indigenous population by a
foreign powerRelations between the colonizer and colony
The Consequences of Subordinate-Group
StatusExterminationThe forcing of a specific subordinate group
to leave certain areas or even vacate a
countryGenocideSystematic extermination of subordinate group
at the hands of the dominant group
StatusExpulsionForcing a specific subordinate group to leave
certain areas or even vacate a countrySecessionA group is not a
subordinate group when it secedes to a new nation or moves to
an: Established nation, where it becomes dominant

StatusSegregationPhysical separation of 2 groups in residence,
workplace, & social functionsFusionOccurs when a minority
and majority group combine to form a new group
StatusAmalgamationThe process by which a dominant group and
a subordinate group combine through intermarriageMelting
PotDiverse racial or ethnic groups form a new creation, a new
cultural identity
StatusAssimilationSubordinate individual or group takes on the
characteristics of the dominant group And is eventually
accepted as part of that groupReasons assimilation would take
longer:Majority is not receptive or minority retains its culture
The Consequences of Subordinate-Group StatusLarge
differences between minority & majorityMinority group arrives
over a short period of timeMinority group residents are
concentrated rather than dispersedArrival is recent and the
homeland is accessible

Resistance and ChangeDominant group define the terms by
which all members of society operateResistance is seen in
efforts by racial and ethnic groups to maintain their identity
Newspapers, organizations, modern technology
Resistance and ChangeTheme in dominant-subordinate
relations: Minority group’s challenge to
subordinationResistance may begin through small actions that
lead to a broader investigationIt’s easy to forget how much
change has taken place
Resistance and ChangeChange is occurringHate-crime
legislationAfrocentric PerspectiveEmphasizes customs of
African Cultures and how they pervaded the history, culture,
and behavior: Of Blacks in the U.S. and around the world

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Chapter 1Exploring Race and EthnicityTable 1.1 .docx