Race, ethnicity and racism

Test 2, set 6

Define race and ethnicity

• Race: Used to categorize large groups on the basis of physical characteristics

• Ethnicity: Refers to social identity, based on cultural value and norms that distinguish the group, with presumed solidarity

Define prejudice, racism and discrimination

• Prejudice- preconceived opinions or attitudes held by members of one group toward another – usually grounded on stereotypes, or the presumed fixed characteristics of a social group.

• Racism- Prejudice based on socially significant physical distinctions

• Discrimination- Denies or grants resources or rewards to one group, which may or may not be based on prejudice – if so, this become racial discrimination
  

What do Race/Ethnicity in Super‑Diversity, Multi‑Racial/Multi‑Ethnic Identities, Group Closure, Scapegoating, and Genocide explain in Meaning & Experience?

• Race/Ethnicity in Super‑Diversity: Highly mobile populations create fluid, mixed, shifting identities

• Multi‑Racial/Multi‑Ethnic Identities: Rise of blended identities across groups

• Group Closure: Restrictions on contact, intermarriage, trade, proximity based on race/ethnicity

• Scapegoating: Unfounded blame/attack on racial or ethnic minorities, often in similar economic conditions

• Genocide: Planned, systematic destruction of a racial, ethnic, religious, political, or cultural group

What do Systemic Racism, Interpersonal Racism, and Employment Equity mean?

• Systemic Racism: Racism built into policies + institutions; the system itself compels racist outcomes

• Interpersonal Racism: Overt or subtle acts of bigotry; assumptions about advantage/disadvantage tied to group membership

• Employment Equity (Affirmative Action): Policies designed to correct structural disadvantages faced by certain groups

What do the Indigenous incarceration rate and prison overrepresentation show?

• Daily incarceration rate: 42.6 Indigenous people per 10,000 vs 4 non‑Indigenous

• Prison population: ~33% of prisoners are Indigenous, while only 4% of Canada’s population is Indigenous

• Shows extreme overrepresentation and systemic inequality in the criminal justice system

What are the key points of the Gladue Case (1999)?

• Courts consider Indigenous background in sentencing.

• Addresses systemic and historical disadvantages.

• Aims to reduce Indigenous overrepresentation in prison.

• Supports reconciliation (UNDRIP, TRC, MMIWG).

What were the key Manitoba Human Rights Commission statistics in 2022?

• There were many complaints registered but many were dismissed, some not even investigating, long wait for investigation

What do Racial Formation, Racialization, Scientific Racism, Colonialism/Marginalization, Race Socialization, and the Fallacies of Weak Induction explain in Theorizing Race & Racism?

• Racial Formation: Social, economic, political forces shape racial categories + meaning

• Racialization (18th–19th c.): Extending taxonomies to humans; classifying racial traits

• Scientific Racism: Using “science” to justify racial classifications

• Colonialism/Marginalization: Dependency, socio‑economic exclusion, systemic barriers

• Race Socialization: How meanings of race are learned over time through agents

• Fallacies of Weak Induction:

  • False Cause: Linking conclusions to fictitious causes

  • Appeal to Ignorance: Weak premises → definite conclusions

  • Hasty Generalization: Rules based on non‑representative samples