prejudice test 2

This article discusses Cooley and Mead’s two different concepts of self here, how does Markus connect these concepts to how people understand their identity?

Markus connects Cooley’s "looking glass self" (others' view of us) and Mead’s theory (needing others to realize self-existence) to show identity is formed where personal view of self meets society's view of self.

How does location impact one’s identity?

Spatial and social surroundings dictate which identity traits become prominent at a given moment, as immediate settings and local social standards activate different self-schemas

What evidence does she use to prove that racial and ethnic categories are human-made organizational systems rather than biological imperatives? (reading 14 who am i)

Physical distinctions varied historically—such as ancient Greece basing identity on language and belief rather than skin color—proving these categories are flexible organizational systems created by humans rather than biological facts.

How does her example of Middle Eastern Muslims in the U.S. post-9/11 illustrate the concept of an ethnic group becoming racialized?

Prior to 9/11, Middle Eastern Muslims self-identified primarily as an ethnic group; after 9/11, societal prejudices and imposed status hierarchies forced them into a racialized category subject to discrimination.

Why do individuals from dominant majority groups often experience their racial identity as "invisible" or claim to be "beyond race" according to Peggy McIntosh?

Members of majority groups experience unearned privileges that make their race feel neutral or irrelevant, allowing them to view their identity as the standard norm and claim to be "beyond race"

We have talked about essentialism and constructionism in understanding master statuses such as gender, what do Howard and Alamilla say about how we learn about gender through socialization?

We learn gender by observing others, receiving rewards or punishments for gendered behavior, and internalizing these lessons into cognitive schemas that guide our actions.

What is meant by Thorne’s term “borderwork”?

Interactions across gender boundaries (like boys vs. girls games or chasing rituals) that strengthen and maintain social separations and inequalities between genders.

What is “doing gender”? and what does accountability have to do with this?

"Doing gender" is performing behaviors to fit cultural gender norms; accountability means individuals choose these behaviors because society holds them responsible for acting gender-appropriate.

Describe Brines’ research on the division of household labor in non-traditional couples (where the wife is the primary breadwinner) and its findings? How does the concept of "doing gender" explain the findings?

Even when wives are primary breadwinners, dependent husbands do less housework to reassert their masculinity, while wives do more housework to affirm their femininity, "doing gender" explains this because both partners use housework to compensate for non-traditional breadwinner roles and uphold traditional gender expectations.

What is meant by blood quantum?

A legal metric calculating a person's degree of Native American genetic ancestry based on the bloodlines of ancestors listed on historical base rolls.

How do legal definitions affect family cohesion and rights to land, voting, and resources?

Meeting legal citizenship standards determines who can vote in tribal elections, live on reservations, inherit land, access federal services, and keep families together against forced child removal or expulsion.

In this article they discuss the issues with these governmental listings of who is American Indian and who is not, the term traditionalist "irreconcilables" refers to people that did what?

Native Americans who actively resisted registering for the Dawes Roll to protect collective land ownership and cultural integrity, resulting in their descendants being excluded from modern tribal base rolls.

Who were the "five-dollar Indians"?

Non-Native individuals who bribed census enumerators to get listed on tribal rolls so they could fraudulently acquire allotted Native lands.

Both “5 dollar Indians and irreconcilable” groups make the official lists “suspect,” explain why?

Historical rolls are unreliable because they excluded genuine Native Americans who refused to enroll ("irreconcilables") while fraudulently including non-Natives who bought their way on ("five-dollar Indians")

What does it mean to perform class? Examining the middle-class Cholas – how did they perform class?

Performing class means displaying learned cultural behaviors, styles, and speech associated with a social status; middle-class Cholas performed a working-class style to establish racial authenticity and avoid accusations of "acting white".

The author examines poor white girls in this article who take on a “chola” identity. What reasons do they give for adopting this cultural expression?

Poor white girls adopted Chola style because they grew up in predominantly Mexican-American neighborhoods where local peer dynamics and social geography shaped their friendships, rather than a conscious cultural choice.

What is MEChA and why did this group not appeal to all Mexican-American youth at this school?

MEChA was a college-prep Chicano student organization that appealed mainly to middle-class performers seeking political identity; it failed to attract working-class youth who viewed it as a "brainy" activity and had after-school work obligations.

Describe the three groups of women that the researcher observes at the coffee shop. From their conversations, how does the topic of "work" differ between the three groups?

The working-class group centered on a strong manual work ethic and housework; the upper-class group emphasized unpaid volunteerism, high culture, and community service; the middle-class group focused on intellectual, liberal, and political activism rather than paid labor.

How do these three groups of women discuss their families and leisure activities, and what does this say about their class positions?

Working-class women favored local family ties and downplayed leisure as productivity; upper-class women showcased children's academic/financial success, high-culture tastes, and luxury travel; middle-class women emphasized intellectual curiosity, cultural awareness, and liberal social values for their children

Did the researcher find a hierarchy in this coffee shop – or did some groups defer to others in this space?

The researcher found an ongoing status struggle rather than a set hierarchy, as no group deferred to another and each group viewed its own class values as superior.

Why does Sherwood argue that sociologists must "study up" rather than solely focusing research on marginalized groups? How did Sherwood do this study (gain access to subjects and decide on sampling)?

Sherwood argues sociologists must "study up" because focusing solely on marginalized groups obscures how elites maintain power; she leveraged her white background and cultural capital to gain access, using a snowball sample of referrals to interview 38 country club members.

How do country club members justify the ongoing racial and ethnic homogeneity of their memberships?

Members justify racial homogeneity using "affordability" arguments that ignore historical wealth disparities, or by pointing to token diversity to claim their club is meritocratic and non-discriminatory.

How do norms that emphasized femininity and upper-class "manners" discourage women from organizing against restrictions at the country club?

Expectations of "feminine civility" push upper-class women to remain agreeable and avoid conflict, leading them to view organizing or suing over club restrictions as "obnoxious" or improper for a lady.

How does Garrison use the concept of “doing gender” and the requirement for “cultural intelligibility” to the lives of trans and gender-variant people

Garrison shows that trans individuals must present consistent, recognizable gender narratives to fulfill interactional accountability and achieve cultural intelligibility, which is necessary for others to grant them basic social recognition and personhood.

In what ways do the concept of “transnormativity” or “queernormativity” establish hierarchies of who is authentic or real?

These concepts establish standards of authenticity within queer/trans spaces, creating hierarchies where individuals are judged based on their adherence to specific medicalized benchmarks, narrative consistency, or acceptable levels of identity fluidity.

What specific cultural tropes or stereotypes make up the “dominant narrative” of transgender identity as described by the study’s participants?

A cultural script characterized by the "born in the wrong body" trope, early childhood awareness of gender variance, intense bodily dysphoria/struggle, and a necessary pursuit of medical transition

What surprising paradox did Garrison uncover when comparing the childhood narratives of binary-identified respondents versus non-binary respondents? How did access to medical transition shape respondents' ability to embrace narrative nuance and gender fluidity?

Paradoxically, non-binary respondents relied more heavily on stereotyped childhood tropes to prove their legitimacy, while binary respondents felt free to embrace narrative nuance; medical transition provided physical "proof" that authenticated identity, allowing individuals the security to embrace gender fluidity

Why do homeless kids have strategies to manage social stigma? According to Goffman and other scholars cited in the reading, what does stigma management attempt to do?

Homeless kids use stigma management because their housing status is a "spoiled identity" that leads to public contempt and exclusion; management attempts to protect their sense of self, gain social acceptance, and achieve normalcy.

What are some of the stigma management strategies used by homeless kids? How does this stigma management affect their identity?

Kids use inclusion strategies (forging friendships, passing, covering) and exclusion strategies (verbal denigration, physical/sexual posturing); while these protect self-esteem short-term, exclusionary tactics can paradoxically reinforce negative stereotypes and further spoil their social standing.

In this reading what is meant by posturing and why do these kids do it?

Posturing involves adopting exaggerated body language, "cool pose" bravado, or explicit sexuality to feel empowered, tough, or mature in interactions; kids do it to intimidate hostile peers, establish status, and compensate for a lack of socially accepted power.

What is meant by covering?

A strategy where individuals do not hide their homeless status, but instead minimize its prominence by adjusting their dress, language, or behavior to reduce social tension and fit into normative settings.

What strategies do bi-racial people use to try to pass as Black?

Bi-racial individuals pass as Black using verbal identification, selective disclosure of ancestry, phenotype manipulation (e.g., styling hair into an afro or tanning), adopting Black cultural symbols (language/AAVE, fashion), and selective association with Black peers, dating partners, or organizations.

From the sample in this study, what were the reasons that these subjects reported as trying to pass a black?

Subjects reported passing as Black to fit in with Black peers, avoid a situationally stigmatized white identity, and gain perceived social, educational, or financial advantages (such as scholarships and affirmative action opportunities).

What is meant by manipulating their phenotype?

Deliberately altering or styling physical features—such as wearing hair in an afro, pulling straight hair back, or tanning skin—to conceal white ancestry and visually accent Black ancestry.

What does it mean to do “identity work”?

The range of activities, strategies, and performances individuals engage in to create, present, or sustain a preferred social identity in interactions. Including verbal talk, cosmetic appearance changes, and selective associations

queer identity

A non-normative gender or sexual identity focused on individualistic self-definition, fluid self-expression, and the deconstruction of traditional binary identity categories.

essay - select two of these groups (or two readings) and compare and contrast how they “do identity.

1. Identity work refers to the active strategies individuals use—such as speech, appearance, and social associations—to present, sustain, or defend a preferred social identity during interactions. it views identity not as a fixed trait, but as a continuous social performance negotiated between the individual and society.

2. Both bi racial individuals and homeless youth manipulate their appearance, speech, and social circles to manage their identities. Bi-racial individuals engage in manipulating their phenotype - wearing hair in afro, tanning skin, pulling straight hair back to accent a Black identity. Homeless kids pick clean, modern clothes to "pass" as housed, also known as covering. Verbally, bi-racial individuals use Black slang, whereas homeless youth use code words—like calling shelter staff "aunts"—to hide their living situation.

3. The key differences are their motivations for doing identity work. Bi-racial individuals do identity work to gain peer acceptance or secure college and financial advantages. homeless youth do it to avoid public exclusion, and to be more “normal” Because of this, homeless youth often resort to aggressive exclusionary tactics, like physical posturing or denigrating others, to make up for lack of social power.

4. Comparing these experiences shows that while identity work is a universal tool for navigating social spaces, a group's structural location dictates whether their strategies focus on personal gain or basic social survival.