SOC 101 Chapter 9: Race and Ethnicity

Race

a group sharing apparent physical traits deemed by society to be socially significant (social construct)

The One-Drop Rule

a historical US classification rule that defined people with any known Black ancestry as Black, regardless of their appearance or proportion of their ancestry

Brown Paper Bag Test

a discriminatory practice historically used in some Black communities to exclude people whose skin was darker than a brown paper bag; illustrates how colorism creates hierarchies

Ethnicity

a socially meaningful identity based on shared cultural heritage, such a national origin, ancestry, language, traditions, and religious practices (self-identified)

Durkheim’s mechanical solidarity

structural functionalist perspective believing that “social groups held together by shared language and culture are more durable and stable”

Prejudice

belief or preconceived notion about an individual or group that is not subject to change even when confronted with evidence

Discrimination

the unequal treatment of individuals on basis of their membership in a group

Thomas Theorem

“If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.”

Cultural Pluralism

social arrangement in which distinct racial and ethnic groups maintain their cultural identities while participating in society with equal rights and opportunities

Amalgamation

the blending of different racial or ethnic groups through intermarriage and other forms of social integration

Assimilation

members of a minority group come to adopt the culture of the majority group

Active Bigot

holds prejudiced beliefs and acts on them by discriminating against others

Timid Bigot

holds prejudiced beliefs but does not openly engage in discriminatory behavior often because of social pressure or fear of consequences

Fair-Weather Liberal

rejects prejudice in principle but engages in discriminatory behavior when it’s socially acceptable, personally advantageous, or convenient

All-Weather Liberal

rejects prejudice and consistently acts in ways that oppose discrimination, even when doing so is unpopular or personally costly