AIS 119 VOCAB

Affirmative Action

An active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and for women.

Agency

The capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices.

Counter Hegemony

Attempts to critique or dismantle hegemonic power and confront existing status quo.

Cultural Appropriation

The adoption or use of elements of one culture by members of another, often viewed as disrespectful.

Discrimination

Action or behavior that denies equal access, opportunities, and rights to persons based on prejudice.

Economic Development

Efforts to improve economic well-being and quality of life by creating and/or retaining jobs.

Emigration

Leaving a country.

Empowerment

The process of increasing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices.

Environmental Justice

Fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

Ethnic Group

Defined by historical or national origin, distinctive cultural traits, and a sense of community.

Ethnocentrism

Intense preference for one's own ethnic group, viewing it as superior to others.

Genocide

Acts committed with intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

Hegemony

Leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others.

Immigration

Coming to a different country.

Language Policy

Government actions regarding how languages are used and cultivated within a country.

Meritocracy

A system where talented individuals are chosen and advanced based on achievements.

Migration

Transfer of populations within a country.

Modes of Domination

Ways like race, class, and gender through which people are oppressed and controlled.

Modes of Response

Responses of subordinated groups such as submission, accommodation, and resistance.

Multiculturalism

Support for the presence of several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society.

Oppression

Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control.

Political Power

The ability to influence or control the behavior of people.

Prejudice

Negative attitude towards others based on faulty assumptions about them or their culture.

Race

A concept with biological and social dimensions used to differentiate human beings.

Racial Prejudice

Hostile attitude directed toward others because of negative assumptions about their group.

Racism

A system of denial, deformation, and destruction of a people's history based on race.

Reparations

Making amends for a wrong, aiming for justice and accountability.

Sovereignty

The authority of a state to govern itself.

Stereotype

A preconceived notion and an overgeneralization about a group of people.

Treaty Rights

Rights reserved by indigenous peoples when signing treaties with settler societies.

White Privilege

An institutional set of benefits granted to white Europeans in society.

1. Affirmative Action

An active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women, stemming from government remedies to historical discrimination. This includes policies that provide preferences to these groups in job hiring, admission to higher education, and the awarding of government contracts.

2. Agency

The capacity of individuals to act independently, make choices, and exert control over their actions and life circumstances.

3. Counter Hegemony

Efforts to critique or dismantle existing hegemonic power structures, challenging the legitimacy of the status quo in various fields such as politics, media, and culture.

4. Cultural Appropriation

The adoption of elements from one culture by members of another culture, often resulting in the loss of original meanings and viewed as disrespectful toward the culture being appropriated.

5. Discrimination

Actions or behaviors that deny or restrict equal access and opportunities to individuals based on prejudices or arbitrary characteristics.

6. Economic Development

Initiatives aimed at enhancing the economic well-being and quality of life within a community by creating jobs, supporting income growth, and expanding the tax base.

7. Emigration

The act of leaving one country to settle in another.

8. Empowerment

The process of increasing the capacity and confidence of individuals or groups to make choices and transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes.

9. Environmental Justice

The principle that all individuals, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, should receive fair treatment and meaningful involvement in environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

10. Ethnic Group

A group defined by shared historical or national origins, distinctive cultural traits, and a sense of community.

11. Ethnocentrism

A strong commitment to and preference for one’s own ethnic group, often leading to the belief that one’s group is superior to others and judging other groups by one's own cultural standards.

12. Genocide

Defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, it includes any acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

13. Hegemony

Leadership or dominance by one social group or country over others, often exercised through cultural or ideological means.

14. Immigration

The act of coming to live in a country different from one’s country of origin.

15. Language Policy

Official government policies that determine how languages are used in society, including support for language maintenance and cultivation based on national priorities.

16. Meritocracy

A social system where individuals are selected and advanced based on their abilities and achievements, though structural barriers may impede equal opportunity for all.

17. Migration

The movement of populations within a country, distinct from emigration or immigration.

18. Modes of Domination

Forms of oppression and control, particularly based on race, class, and gender; these provide a context for systematic inequalities.

19. Modes of Response

Responses of marginalized groups to oppression, including submission, accommodation, and resistance across cultural, political, and economic dimensions.

20. Multiculturalism

Support for the coexistence and recognition of multiple distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society.

21. Oppression

Continuous and unjust treatment or control of a group, usually exercised by those in power against marginalized communities.

22. Political Power

The ability to influence or control the behavior of people, often linked to perceived legitimacy within social structures.

23. Prejudice

A negative attitude or belief about others based on faulty assumptions regarding their characteristics or cultural backgrounds.

24. Race

A social concept that categorizes humans based on physical characteristics, often linked to the social meaning attributed to these traits, with significant implications for status and privilege.

25. Racial Prejudice

A negative or hostile attitude directed towards individuals based on their perceived racial characteristics.

26. Racism

A system consisting of beliefs and practices that deny a group's history and humanity based primarily on race, manifesting as stereotypes, systemic inequality, and social hierarchies.

27. Reparations

Efforts to compensate a group for past injustices and wrongdoings, focused on achieving justice and accountability for oppressed communities.

28. Sovereignty

The authority of a state or governing body to exercise self-governance and make decisions without external interference.

29. Stereotype

An oversimplified and widely held belief about a particular group of people that may not reflect reality.

30. Treaty Rights

Rights reserved by indigenous peoples when treaties were signed with colonial or settler governments, often involving land use, governance, and resource management.

31. White Privilege

The societal advantages that white individuals experience based on their race, granting them greater access to opportunities and resources compared to people of color.