Chapter 1 (pt. 2): Cultural Diversity

Race

A socially constructed category based on perceived physical differences; “not biologically fixed; meaning varies across time and societies.”

Ethnicity

Shared cultural traits such as language, religion, customs, and ancestry; more flexible and self‑defined than race.

Minority Group

A group defined by unequal power, limited access to resources, and social subordination, not numerical size.

Dominant Group

The group that holds power, sets societal norms, and benefits from structural advantages.

Sociological Perspective

Focus on patterns, structures, and institutions rather than isolated individual behavior.

Micro-Level Analysis

Study of individual attitudes and interactions (e.g., prejudice, stereotypes).

Macro-Level Analysis

Study of social structures and institutions (e.g., segregation, immigration policy).

Prejudice

Attitudes or beliefs (often negative) about a group; can be conscious or unconscious.

Discrimination

Behavior or actions that disadvantage a group; can be individual or institutional.

What is the key distinction between prejudice and discrimination?

Prejudice = thinking/feeling; discrimination = doing.

Individual-Level Explanations

Personality traits, socialization, scapegoating, authoritarian personality theory.

Structural-Level Explanations

Institutional practices, economic competition, power dynamics, historical inequality.

Social Construction of Race/Ethnicity

“Categories societies create, redefine, and enforce” through laws, media, education, economics, and politics.

Genocide

Most hostile form of intergroup relations; deliberate extermination of a group.

Expulsion

Forcing a group to leave an area or country.

Segregation

Physical and social separation of groups.

Exclusion

Denying groups certain rights or opportunities.

Assimilation

Minority groups gradually adopt the dominant culture; can be cultural, structural, marital, or identificational.

Pluralism

Groups maintain distinct identities while coexisting within shared institutions; also called multiculturalism.

Conflict Theory

Inequality arises from competition over scarce resources; dominant groups maintain power through institutions.

Functionalist Perspective

Society is a system of interrelated parts; conflict can create cohesion but persistent inequality is dysfunctional.

Why Chapter 1 Matters

It provides tools to distinguish attitudes vs. structures, understand social construction, and analyze power in intergroup relations.

Stranger (Sociological Concept)

A person perceived as an outsider due to cultural or group differences; involves nearness + remoteness.

Social Distance

Degree of closeness or acceptance between groups.

Categoric Knowing

“Classification based on limited visual and verbal information.”

Acculturation

Adjusting to a new culture’s norms, values, and institutions.

Characteristics of Minority Groups

Unequal treatment, identifiable traits, low societal esteem, strong group identity, ascribed status, endogamy.

Race (Strangers to These Shores definition)

People sharing visible biological characteristics who regard themselves or are regarded by others as a group.

Ethnicity (Strangers to These Shores definition)

Groupings based on religious, linguistic, or cultural characteristics.

Ethnocentrism

Viewing one’s own group as the center of everything; belief in superiority of one’s own group.

Social Identity Theory

Ingroup members see themselves as better than outgroup members.

Cultural Superiority

Belief that one’s culture is superior (e.g., “white man’s burden”).

Eurocentrism

Emphasis on Western culture in humanities and history.

Afrocentrism

Emphasis on African culture and its influence; Afrocentric schools aim to enhance “educational achievement, motivation, and self esteem.”

Scientific Method in Sociology

“Repeated objective observation,” precise measurement, careful description, theory formation, and information gathering.

Values

Shared ideas of what is good or desirable; disagreements should be unemotional.

Dillingham Flaw

“Faulty logic making incorrect assumptions about the past and applying those stereotypes to the present.”

Example of Dillingham Flaw

Comparing 19th‑century immigrants to modern ones without considering context.

Sociological Imagination

“Connection between the patterns of individual lives and the larger historical context of society.”

Personal Troubles vs. Public Issues

Individual struggles often reflect structural forces (e.g., economy, discrimination, immigration policy).

Functionalist View of Minority Groups

Social problems arise from temporary disorganization; rapid change disrupts equilibrium.

Conflict View of Minority Groups

Society is marked by tension; inequality produces antagonism; change requires struggle.

Interactionist Perspective

Focus on everyday interactions and shared symbols; social reality is constructed through externalization → objectification → internalization.

Migration

Movement into a specified area.

Immigration

Permanent movement into a new country.

Emigration

Movement out of a country.

Ingroup

Group to which one belongs and feels loyalty.

Outgroup

Any group to which one does not belong.

Cultural Relativism

Understanding cultures on their own terms rather than judging them by one’s own standards.

Ellis Island

Immigration station (1892–1954) with medical exams (“six‑second physical”) and legal inspections; only 2% deported.

Social Distance Rankings Example

Americans ranked 1st (mean 1.15); Muslims ranked 30th (mean 2.23).