Chapter 10 Race and ethnicity

phenotype

the observable characteristics of an organism (skin color)

Racial differences

• first: rooted in perceived physical differences between groups of people

racism

Refers to the set of practices and beliefs that reinforce one group’s superiority over another

Prejudice

negative attitude/opinion that a person holds against another

anti-miscegenation laws

Primary purpose was to prevent the category of white from being diluted (through interracial sex/marriage)

Hypodescent

The practice of assigning children of two parents of different racial groups to minority group membership (white x black parents = black kid)

One-drop rule

Thomas theorem

Suggest that even if something is not empirically true, it cans till hold significant meaning for a group of people simply because they believe it to be true

• while race is not biologically real, it remains “real” in the sense that societal beliefs about the reality of race have had enormous consequences on opportunities, resources and status

• Race = ideology → ideologies are important for how we make sense of the world (then it doesn’t rlly matter if those ideologies are empirically true)

Indentured servants

People who were bound to work, unpaid, for several years

• so how did slavery start? tobacco production

• It started with indentured servants (but they still entitled to certain rights + they can work themselvs out of debt → freedom) → so moved to slavery

  • Enslaved labor fueled the global economy by producing essential exports like cotton

Model minority myth

The belief that certain minority groups (particularly Asian) are more successful than others because of their cultural values and norms

Restrictive covenants

Legal rules attached to a house or neighborhood that controlled who was allowed to buy there. They were often used to keep certain people out, such as people of a particular race or family type

• FHA (house financing - loan system) gave way to newer, more isntitutionalized forms of racism

Redlining

Red lines were drawn aorund certain parts of a city to indicate the presence of Black and other racial minority households (marking it as risky investments)

• Racial wealth gap, school funding, exposure to enviromental risks

Blockbusting

The practice where real estate agents convince White residents in a particular area to sell their proty at below-market prices (convincing them that racial minorities would soon be moving into their white neighborhood)

• when property owned by Black is valued less than that of White → it helps maintain an ideology that blackness is unstable, risky

Circular logic

A trait is racialized and then used to validate race

Collateral costs of incarceration

The many ways that the penalties associated with imprisonment extend far beyond fines/ imprisonment itself, affecting the opportunities for housing, applying for loans and even employment ( most were charged for non-violent crimes)