Chapter 8: Race and Ethnicity as Lived Experience

race

A socially defined category based on real or perceived biological differences between groups of people

ethnicity

A socially defined category based on a common language, religion, nationality, history, or some other cultural factor

symbolic ethnicity

An ethnic identity that is relevant only on specific occasions and does not significantly affect everyday life.

situational ethnicity

An ethnic identity that can be either displayed or concealed depending on its usefulness in a given situation

minority group

A social group that is systematically denied the same access to power and resources available to society’s dominant groups though its members are not necessarily fewer in number than the dominant groups

racism

A set of beliefs about the claimed superiority of one racial or ethnic group; used to justify inequality and often rooted in the assumption that differences among groups are genetic.

prejudice

An idea about the characteristics of a group that is applied to all members of that group and is unlikely to change regardless of the evidence against it.

discrimination

Unequal treatment of individuals based on their membership in a social group; usually motivated by prejudice.

implicit bias

Attitudes or stereotypes that are embedded at an unconscious level and may influence our perceptions, decisions, and actions

individual discrimination

Discrimination carried out by one person against another.

institutional discrimination

Discrimination carried out systematically by institutions (political, economic, educational, and others) that affects all members of a group who come into contact with them.

white nationalism

The belief that the nation should be built around a white identity that is reflected in religion, politics, economics, and culture.

privilege

Unearned advantage accorded to members of dominant social groups (people who are male, white, heterosexual, physically able, etc.).

color-blind racism

An ideology that removes race as an explanation for any form of unequal treatment.

race consciousness

An ideology that acknowledges race as a powerful social construct that shapes our individual and social experiences.

microaggressions

Everyday uses of subtle verbal and nonverbal communications that convey denigrating or dismissive messages to members of certain social groups.

cultural appropriation

The adoption of cultural elements belonging to an oppressed group by members of the dominant group, without permission and often for the dominant group’s gain

reverse racism

The claim by whites that they suffer discrimination based upon their race and, therefore, experience social disadvantages.

affirmative action

a set of policies and proactive practices designed to address systemic discrimination, increase diversity, and provide equal opportunities for historically disadvantaged or underrepresented groups in employment, education, and contracting

antiracist allies

Whites and others working toward the goal of ending racial injustice.

critical race theory

The study of the relationships among race, racism, and power

passing

Presenting yourself as a member of a different group than the stigmatized group to which you belong.

double-consciousness

W.E.B. Du Bois’s term for the divided identity experienced by Black people in the United States.

embodied identity

Those elements of identity that are generated through others’ perceptions of our physical traits.

miscegenation

Romantic, sexual, or marital relationships between people of different races.

genocide

The deliberate and systematic extermination of a racial, ethnic, national, or cultural group

population transfer

The forcible removal of a group of people from the territory they have occupied.

settler colonialism

The economic and political subjugation of the minority group by the dominant group within a nation.

segregation

The physical and legal separation of groups by race or ethnicity.

assimilation

A pattern of relations between ethnic or racial groups in which the minority group is absorbed into the mainstream or dominant group, making society more homogeneous.

racial assimilation

The process by which racial minority groups are absorbed into the dominant group through intermarriage

cultural assimilation

The process by which racial or ethnic groups are absorbed into the dominant group by adopting the dominant group’s culture.

pluralism

A cultural pattern of intergroup relations that encourages racial and ethnic variation and acceptance within a society