MCC The Matrix Fall 2024 Exam 2

Race

a concept that signifies and symbolizes social conflict and interests by referring to different types of human bodies

Racial Formation

sociohistorical process where racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed

Racialization

a process in which a social category like religion or nationality is perceived by society as racial characteristics

Racial Projects

links cultural representations of race with the structures that organize the distribution of social resources along racial lines

Racial Stratification

the inequality between and among racial groups

Ethnicity

a socially defined category based on common language, religion, nationality, history, or another cultural factor

Symbolic Ethnicity

an ethnic identity that is only relevant on specific occasions and does not affect everyday life

Racism

a set of beliefs about the superiority of one racial or ethnic group

Prejudice

an idea about the characteristics of a group applied to all members of that group

Discrimination

unequal treatment of individuals because of their social group, typically motivated by predjudice

Individual Discrimination

discrimination carried out by one person against another

Institutional Discrimination

discrimination carried out systematically by social institutions, which affects all members of a group who encounter it

Minority

any distinct group that shares common characteristics which is subject to prejudice and discrimination

Dominant Group

has greater power/status

Genocide

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

Expulsion

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

Internal Colonialism

economic and political domination and subjugation of the minority group by the controlling group within a nation

Segregation

formal and legal separation of groups by race or ethnicity

Assimilation

absorption of the minority group into the mainstream or dominant group

Pluralism

pattern of intergroup relations that encourage racial and ethnic variation within a society

Reference Groups

groups that provide a standard of comparison to evaluate ourselves against

Agents of Socialization

social groups, institutions, and individuals that provide structured situations where socialization occurs

Status

position in society that comes with a set of expectations

Ascribed Status

a status we are born with and unlikely to change

Achieved Status

a status we have earned through individual effort or that is imposed by others

Master Status

a status that seems to override all others and affects all other statuses that one has

Feeling Rules

cultural rules guiding what emotions a situation calls for

Emotion Work

the process of evoking, suppressing, or managing feelings to create a public display of emotion

Karl Marx on Social Class

Capitalists and Workers

Max Weber on Social Class

Wealth/Property, Power, and Prestige

Social Class

hierarchical arrangement in society that gives groups different access to the economic, social, political, and cultural resources

Social Mobility

the movement of individuals or groups within the hierarchical system of social classes

Intergenerational Mobility

movement between social classes from one generation to the next

Intragenerational Mobility

movement between social classes over the course of an individual’s lifetime

Structural Mobility

refers to changes in the social status of large numbers of people due to structural changes in society

Meritocracy

a system in which rewards are distributed based on merit

American Dream

the ideology that anyone can achieve success if they work hard enough

Constructionist

approach that views gender as a social construct

Sexuality

sexual behavior, desires, and fantasies

Sexual Orientation

inclination to feel desire towards and engage in sexual behavior with people of a particular gender

Heterosexism

institutions are organized around belief structures that define and enforce heterosexual behavior as the only natural and permissive form of sexual expression

Homophobia

fear and hatred of homosexuality

Feminism

the belief in social, political, and economic equality of the sexes and social movements organized around that belief