SOC 105 | Race & Ethnicity

Race

A social construct with social consequences

Ethnicity

Shared culture which may include heritage, language, religion, and more

Racialization

The social process where certain groups are treated unequally based on physical differences

Minority group VS Majority group

Minority = group of people who are socially disadvantaged

Majority = group of people who are socially advantaged

Stereotypes

Oversimplified ideas about groups of people

Predjudice

Negative judgement about people not based on facts

Discrimination + the two types of institutional discrimination

An action that takes or gives advantages to members of a particular group

• direct (policies)

• indirect (unintended different treatment)

Racism

Attitudes, beliefs, and practices

• justify one race being superior or inferior to others

White Privilege

The benefits people receive by being part of the dominant group

Democratic racism

A system that advocates equality but actually perpetuates minority oppression

Institutional racism

Unjust policies embedded within organizations

• create and maintain racial inequality

What did the Indian act of 1876 do?

Added policies that took away freedom of Indigenous people in what they could do

What are the 4 stages of colonialism?

1) Mutual relationship

2) Economic reliance on the colonial economy and loss of autonomy

3) Establishment of reserves

4) Political mobilization and resistance

What was Africville for black Canadians in the 19th century?

What hapened to Africville?

Black community in Nova Scotia for formerly enslaved people and black refugees from war of 1812

• It was demolished because it was “slums”

What did the Immigration reform introduce?

• Work visa

• Seasonal agricultural worker

• Domestic worker program

Two kinds of segregation that were still present despite these advancements:

• Residential segregation

• Occupation segregation

What happened to the city counsellor Mifflin Gibbs?

He was denied access to white only events despite all that he gave for Canada

Chinese Canadian

• Canadian Pacific Railway

• Chinese workers were paid 1/3-1/4 of other workers

• 600 died

Japanese Canadian

• 1887 Issei first wave of Japanese immigrant

• Immigration restriction on Japanese men

What was the Chinese head tax

• Large tax to enter Canada. $50 then $100 then $500

What’s the model minority stereotype?

Asian Canadians are inherently hardworking, smart, and successful.

• Used to argue that systemic racism doesn’t exist

Genocide

Annihilation of a targeted group

Segregation + it’s two types

Physical separation of two groups

• De jure segregation: Legally enforced

• De facto segregation: Caused by other factors

Assimilation

A minority group takes on the characteristics of the dominant culture

What are the 4 criteria of assimilation?

1) Socioeconomic status

2) Spatial concentration

3) Language assimilation

4) Intermarriage

Multiculturalism

Recognition of cultural and racial diversity, and their equality

What are Kymlicka’s 3 methods of multicultural group-specific rights?

1) Self-government rights

2) Polyethnic rights

3) Special representation rights

Hybridity

The process where different races and ethnicities combine to create new cultural forms

What are the two race and ethnicity theories under social psychology?

• Scapegoat Theory

• Authoritative Personality Theory

Scapegoat Theory

Dominant groups will displace their unfocused aggression onto subordinate groups

Authoritative Personality Theory

Prejudice is a personal trait of people who strongly believe in following cultural norms, traditions, and values

What are three theories under Sociocultural Theory?

• Culture Theory

• Social distance

• Culture of prejudice

Culture Theory

Some prejudice is a healthy part of culture

Social distance

Distance people feel between themselves and other minorities

Culture of Prejudice

Values that promote prejudice, discrimination, and oppression

What is the Functionalism Theory within race and ethnicity?

There is a function of racial hierarchy

• Economic and political benefits

What are three theories under the Critical Theories?

• Critical Race Theory

• Post-colonialism

• Intersectionality Theory

Critical Race Theory

Investigates intersection of race, class, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality to explain prejudice and discrimination

Post-colonialism

The colonial past of a nation shapes the social, political, and economic experience of that country

Intersectionality Theory

Inability to separate the effects of race, class, gender, sexuality, and other attributes

What is the definition of intersectionality?

A framework to understand how social identities overlap to create unique combinations of privledge and discrimination

What are he 4 feelings experienced by the dominant group according to symbolic interactionism?

They feel…

1) Superiority

2) Alienation of subordinate race

3) Certain areas of privilege ‘belong’ to you

4) Subordinate race is trying to take your power