Race and Ethnicity

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to race and ethnicity, social constructs, discrimination, and theoretical perspectives.

Social Construction of Race

A concept suggesting that race is not biologically inherent but rather constructed through societal perceptions.

Race

A group sharing apparent physical traits deemed socially significant by society.

One Drop Rule of Blood

A social classification principle stating that any person with known African ancestry is considered Black.

Brown Bag Hypothesis

A method of determining social status based on skin color; lighter skin tones being favored over darker.

Human Genome Project

A project that revealed all human beings are genetically nearly identical.

Thomas Theorem

If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.

Ethnicity

A group’s national origin, language, and cultural or religious practices.

Minorities

Less powerful groups that are dominated politically and economically by a more powerful group.

Colorism

Discrimination based on skin color, often favoring lighter skin over darker skin.

Microaggressions

Daily, subtle, unintentional, and oftentimes dismissive interactions or behaviors that convey a prejudiced viewpoint.

Double Consciousness

A term coined by W.E.B. Dubois describing an internal conflict experienced by subordinated groups in an oppressive society.

Dueling Consciousness

Coexistence of conflicting identities within an individual as described by Ibram X. Kendi.

Structural Functionalist Perspective

A viewpoint explaining that social structures serve to explain social cohesion within ethnic groups.

Cultural Pluralism

A situation where distinct ethnic or racial groups maintain their distinctiveness while coexisting equally.

Assimilation

The process by which a minority group adopts the culture of the majority group.

Segregation

The physical and social separation of groups, often resulting in inequality.

Expulsion

Forcibly removing a population from a certain area.

Internal Colonialism

The economic and political domination of a minority group by a majority group within the same country.

Genocide

The deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, ethnic, racial, or cultural group.

Withdrawal

A response to oppression where individuals escape or retreat from the dominant society.

Passing

A strategy to blend in with the dominant group, often by changing names or appearances.

Code-switching

Changing one's behavior, appearance, or language in order to fit in with a different cultural group.

Resistance

Opposition to dominant social norms and expectations.

White Privilege

The unearned social, economic, and political advantages granted to white individuals.

Prejudice

Beliefs or opinions about a group or individual not based on evidence.

Stereotyping

Applying generalized characteristics to all individuals within a group.

Institutional Discrimination

Discrimination entrenched in the policies and practices of societal institutions.

Individual Racism

Racial discrimination that occurs between individuals without institutional backing.

Institutional Racism

Entrenched discrimination within societal institutions that impacts whole communities.

Internalized Racism

Acceptance by marginalized groups of negative messages about their own racial or ethnic identity.

Colorblind Racism

A form of racial bias where individuals claim not to see race, thus ignoring racial disparities.

Active bigot

A person who is prejudiced and discriminates against others.

Timid bigot

A prejudiced individual who does not engage in discriminatory behavior.

Fair-weather liberal

An unprejudiced individual who still discriminates when it suits them.

All-weather liberal

An unprejudiced individual who does not discriminate.

Consequences of Discrimination

The resultant inequalities in housing, education, health care, and economics faced by marginalized groups.

Racism

A belief system that holds one racial group as superior to others.

Cohesion

The act of forming a united whole, particularly among ethnic groups.

Social Interaction

The ways in which individuals relate to and influence one another within society.

Symbolic Interactionism

A sociological perspective focusing on the meanings and interpretations that individuals assign to social phenomena.

Racialization

The process by which certain groups come to be defined in racial terms.

Discrimination

The unjust treatment of different categories of people, often rooted in prejudice.