Racism and Social Identity Concepts

Flashcards covering key concepts related to race, ethnicity, and social identity.

Race

A social group based on perceived physical traits.

Example: When filling out a demographic form, selecting 'White,' 'Black,' or 'Asian' to describe oneself based on perceived physical traits.

Ethnicity

Shared cultural background like language or nationality.

Example: A person identifying as Irish-American, participating in St. Patrick's Day parades, or sharing traditional Irish recipes with family.

Racism

A system where race determines advantages or disadvantages.

Example: A landlord refusing to rent an apartment to a qualified tenant solely because of their racial background.

Individual Racism

Personal discriminatory attitudes or actions.

Example: A store owner refusing service to someone because of their race.

Institutional Racism

Policies or systems within institutions that cause racial inequality.

Example: A company's hiring practices that unintentionally favor candidates from certain racial backgrounds, leading to a lack of diversity.

Structural/Systemic Racism

Racial inequality spread across many institutions and society.

Example: Disparities in educational outcomes, healthcare access, and wealth accumulation across racial groups due to interconnected historical and contemporary policies.

Colorblind Racism

Claiming not to see race, which hides existing racial inequalities.

Example: Saying 'I don't see color' and therefore ignoring the unique challenges faced by racial minorities.

Prejudice

Negative preconceived ideas about a group.

Example: Believing that all members of a certain ethnic group are lazy without any basis.

Discrimination

Actions that treat different groups unfairly.

Example: An employer consistently overlooking qualified candidates from a particular racial group for promotions.

Implicit Bias

Unconscious beliefs that affect our behavior towards certain groups.

Example: A doctor unconsciously spending less time with patients of a certain race or ethnicity.

Explicit Bias

Conscious and open discriminatory beliefs.

Example: Someone openly stating they believe one race is inherently superior to another.

Stereotype

An overly simple and generalized belief about a group.

Example: The belief that all Asians are good at math.

Microaggressions

Everyday subtle insults that communicate bias.

Example: Telling an Asian-American, 'Your English is excellent,' implying they are not truly American.

Racialization

The process of giving racial meaning to a group or action.

Example: News media often associating certain racial or ethnic groups with criminality or terrorism, thereby assigning a 'racial meaning' to their identity.

White Privilege

Unearned advantages that white people have solely due to their race.

Example: Not being questioned in a store about your presence, or not being followed.

Racial Hierarchy

A system that ranks races with some having more power.

Example: In a workplace, observing that leadership positions are consistently held by individuals of one racial group, while other racial groups are predominantly in lower-level roles.

Social Construct

An idea created and accepted by society, not based on biology.

Example: The categories used on government forms to classify people by 'race' are created and agreed upon by society, not based on distinct biological differences.

Segregation

The physical or social separation of racial groups.

Example: Individuals from different racial groups largely living in separate neighborhoods within the same city, even without legal enforcement.

De Facto Segregation

Segregation that happens in practice, not by law.

Example: Neighborhoods that are predominantly one race due to historical housing patterns and economic factors.

De Jure Segregation

Segregation that is enforced by law.

Example: "Whites Only" signs on public facilities that were legally mandated, such as during the Jim Crow era.

Redlining

Denying services like loans to certain neighborhoods, often minority areas.

Example: Banks refusing to give mortgages to residents in specific predominantly Black neighborhoods, marking them as high-risk on maps.

White Flight

When white residents move out of areas becoming more diverse.

Example: A rapid increase in the minority population of a city neighborhood followed by a significant decrease in its white population moving to suburbs.

Colorism

Preference for lighter skin tones, even within the same racial group.

Example: In some cultures, lighter-skinned individuals within the same ethnic group may be perceived as more attractive or be treated with more deference.

Ethnocentrism

Believing one's own culture is superior to others.

Example: A tourist criticizing a foreign country's customs and food as 'primitive' or 'strange' compared to their own.

Assimilation

When a minority group adopts the culture of the dominant group.

Example: Immigrants learning the language, customs, and traditions of their new country and abandoning their native culture.

Acculturation

The process of cultural exchange when different groups interact.

Example: Mexican-Americans celebrating both traditional Mexican holidays and American holidays, or Mexican cuisine influencing American fast food.

Cultural Appropriation

Taking elements from another culture without understanding or respect, often for profit.

Example: A fashion company selling Native American headdresses as a trendy accessory without acknowledging their cultural significance or consulting with Native communities.

Minority Group

A group with less power and representation in society.

Example: African Americans in the United States, despite being a significant population, have historically faced systemic disempowerment.

Dominant Group

The group with the most power and influence in society.

Example: White people in most Western societies.

Intersectionality

The idea that overlapping social identities create unique experiences of discrimination.

Example: A Black woman experiencing discrimination not just for being Black, nor just for being a woman, but for the specific intersection of both identities.

Genetic Variation

Natural differences in DNA among individuals within and across groups.

Example: The diverse range of hair colors, eye colors, and blood types observed in the human population.

One-Drop Rule

A historical rule that classified anyone with any Black ancestry as Black.

Example: Historically, a person with one great-grandparent of Black African descent, even if appearing white, would have been legally classified as Black.

Racial Profiling

Targeting individuals based on their race or ethnicity, rather than actions.

Example: Police routinely stopping and searching young Black men more often than white men for no apparent reason.

Affirmative Action

Policies designed to increase opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups.

Example: A university considering race as one factor among many in admissions to promote diversity in its student body.

Systemic Inequality

Unequal outcomes that are deeply embedded across various institutions.

Example: The wealth gap between Black and white households, which is a result of generations of discriminatory policies in housing, employment, and education.

Power

The ability to influence or control resources and outcomes.

Example: A manager having the power to hire, fire, and promote employees, thus influencing their livelihoods.

Privilege

Unearned social advantages or benefits.

Example: Male privilege, where men often face fewer obstacles in career advancement than women simply due to their gender.

Oppression

The systematic mistreatment and control of a group by a dominant group.

Example: In a society, where one racial group systematically faces barriers to education, employment, and political participation that are not encountered by the dominant group.

Scapegoating

Blaming a particular group for problems faced by others.

Example: Blaming immigrants for high unemployment rates in a country, despite economic data suggesting otherwise.

Model Minority Myth

A stereotype that portrays certain minority groups as achieving high levels of success, often used to pit groups against each other.

Example: The idea that all Asian Americans are naturally academically gifted and economically prosperous, ignoring the struggles faced by many within the community.

White Supremacy

The belief that white people are inherently superior and should dominate.

Example: The belief held by some that European culture and institutions are inherently superior to others worldwide, and should serve as the global standard for society.

Nativism

Favoring native-born citizens over immigrants.

Example: Advocating for stricter immigration laws and policies that limit the rights and opportunities of non-citizens.

Immigration Restriction

Policies that limit when and who can immigrate.

Example: Current debates over stricter border controls or limits on the number of visas issued to people from specific countries.

Social Stratification

Society's system of ranking people into layers based on factors like wealth or power.

Example: The class system in many societies, where individuals are grouped into upper, middle, and lower classes based on their economic standing.

Cultural Racism

Racism expressed through cultural values and norms.

Example: The societal preference for European beauty standards, such as lighter skin or straight hair, over others.

Biological Determinism

The belief that human traits are solely determined by genes.

Example: The discredited idea that intelligence or criminal behavior is solely dictated by a person's race or genetic makeup.

Genotype vs Phenotype

Genotype refers to a person's genetic makeup; phenotype refers to observable traits.

Example: A person's genotype might include genes for blue eyes, while their phenotype is their actual blue eye color.

Racial Identity Formation

The process of developing a sense of belonging to a racial group.

Example: A biracial individual exploring and embracing both aspects of their racial heritage, or a Black teenager learning about African American history and culture.

In-group Bias

A tendency to favor one's own group over others.

Example: Preferring to hire someone from your own alma mater over a candidate from a different university, simply because of shared affiliation.

Out-group Bias

A negative bias or prejudice against groups different from one's own.

Example: Believing that 'those people' from a different country are inherently untrustworthy or less intelligent.