Race, Ethnicity, and Genocide Study Guide

These flashcards cover key concepts related to race, ethnicity, discrimination, and genocide, providing definitions and context for studying these crucial societal issues.

Race

A socially imposed system of categorization based on physical characteristics deemed important by society.

• No natural, biological racial categories exist

• Physical differences within racial groups are often greater than differences between them

• Race remains a significant social construct that affects people’s lives

Ethnicity

Cultural norms and values associated with a social group, including shared history, religion, culture, kinship, ancestry, and language.

• Includes shared history, religion, culture, kinship, ancestry, and language

• Different ethnic groups can exist within the same racial category

Social Construction of Race

The idea that race and ethnicity classifications change over time and across societies, is influenced by social and political factors.

• EX: U.S. census categories have evolved to reflect social and political agendas

Group Position Theory

A theory that suggests racial categories and meanings emerge from complex collective social processes.

• Media, language, and societal narratives reinforce racial biases and stereotypes

Stereotypes

Simplistic assumptions about people based on group membership.

Prejudice

Value judgments placed on stereotypes that lead to biased treatment.

Individual Discrimination

When an individual treats others differently based on prejudice.

Systemic Discrimination

Laws, policies, or procedures cause group disparities, even without individual prejudice.

• EX: Apartheid in South Africa, redlining the U.S., forced sterilization in China

Apartheid

Legal racial segregation in South Africa dictated where people could live, work, and whom they could associate with.

• Trevor Noah’s experiences as a mixed-race child under apartheid

Redlining

The systemic practice is carried out by the U.S. Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC), whereby minority neighborhoods are marked as high-risk, limiting access to home loans.

• Long-term effects: Wealth disparities persist across racial groups due to historical denial of homeownership

Othering

The process of viewing certain groups as inferior or different, is often rooted in colonialism and used to justify racial hierarchies

Dehumanization

The psychological portrayal of others as subhuman, justifies discrimination and violence.

• EX: Nazis calling Jews “rats”, Hutus calling Tutsis “cockroaches”

Genocide

Acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

The Holocaust

The coordinated effort to eliminate Jewish people and their cultural influence during Nazi Germany.

• Methods: Political exclusion, social isolation, economic discrimination, cultural destruction, religious suppression, mass murder

• The '“Final Solution”: Systematic extermination of Jews via concentration camps and industrialized killing methods

Cambodian Genocide

The genocide that occurred from 1975 to 1979 under the Khmer Rouge, targeted intellectuals and ethnic minorities.

• 2.7 million deaths due to execution, forced labor, and starvation

Rwandan Genocide

The Hutu-led massacre of Tutsis in 1994, resulted in 800,000-1 million deaths in 100 days.

• 800,000 to 1 million people killed in 100 days

• Fueled by colonial-era ethnic divisions and propaganda

Resistance and Hope

Efforts by individuals and communities to resist discrimination and prevent future genocides. Activism and solidarity efforts aim to prevent future injustices