ANTH Chapter 10 + Social Inequality + Race + Racism

what is social inequality?

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* unequal access to the culturally valued resources of wealth, power, and prestige

what is wealth? (social inequality)

the material objects that have value in a society

what is power? (social inequality)

the ability to achieve one’s goals by influencing the behaviour of others

what is prestige? (social inequality)

social honour or respect within a society

what are egalitarian societies?

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* a society that recognizes few differences in status, wealth, or power
* Usually found among food collectors
* These cultures have economies based on reciprocity, and have little or no political role specialization

what are rank societies?

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* a society in which people have unequal access to prestige and status but not unequal access to wealth and power
* Usually found among chiefdoms
* Have economies based on redistribution, and exhibit limited political role specialization

what are stratified societies?

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* a society in with a large population that is divided into several levels based on the degree of social inequality
* Have market economies, and are associated with state systems of government
* The greater the role specialization in a society, the more complex is its system of stratification

what are strata?

relatively permanent levels in societies separating people according to their access to wealth, power, and prestige

how to stratification systems vary?

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* The number of ranked groups
* The degree to which there is agreement regarding their hierarchical placement
* The size of the strata
* The ability of individuals to move within strata
* Supporting ideology

what is social mobility?

the ability of people to change their position within society

what is a class system?

a ranked group within a stratified society characterized by achieved status and considerable social mobility

what is a caste system?

a ranked group within a rigidly stratified society in which membership is ascribed at birth and social mobility is almost nonexistent

what are open societies?

 a society in which there are no formal barriers preventing people from rising in the social hierarchy

what are closed societies?

a society in which there are formal barriers preventing people from moving up the social hierarchy

what are varnas?

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*  Caste groups in Hindu India that are associated with certain occupations.

what are the four varnas?

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* Brahmins: priests and scholars
* Kshatriyas: warriors, kings, and governors
* Vaishyas: tradesmen, farmers, artisans
* Shudras: labourers and servants

what is the group below and outside the varna caste system?

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* Dalit: the lowest striatum in Indian society. Formerly called “untouchables.” confined to cleaning latrines, sweeping streets, or disposing of animal carcasses
* Untouchability practices: practices such as segregation and denial of access to community resources, which separate the Dalits from other caste groups

what are jati? (varnas)

local subcastes found in Hindu India that are strictly endogamous

what is sanskritization?

a form of upward mobility found in contemporary India whereby people born into lower castes can achieve higher status by taking on some of the behaviours and practices of the highest (Brahmin) caste

what is hypergamy?

the practice of marrying someone from a higher social strata

what is the biological concept of race?

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* use the concept of race to refer to a geographically and hence reproductively isolated population of a species (used synonymously with the term subspecies)
* Human populations have never been isolated long enough to have developed biological races

what is the anthropological concept of race?

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* socially constructed. Therefore, the biological sense of distinct divisions of the human species does not exist

what is a phenotype?

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* observable physical characteristics (e.g., skin colour, eye colour, hair texture, nose shape, etc.)
* People classify “races” in terms of phenotypes
* Basing race off of solely skin colour is subjective and arbitrary

what is the one-drop rule?

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* a rule, and in many U.S. States a law, that if a person had one ancestor who was black they too were considered black (under the Jim Crow segregation laws)
* The point was to exclude black people from voting and running for political office as well as to prevent…
* Miscegenation: the marriage or interbreeding of people considered to be of different races (interracial marriage)

what is hypodescent?

the assignment of a child from a mixed race, ethnic group, or other social group to the inferior or lower status group

what is polygenesis?

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* the theory that human races have multiple origins, therefore races are unchanging
* Used to justify slavery

what is monogenesis?

the theory that human races have a single origin, therefore all races have degenerated into their current state

what is eugenics?

ideas and practices aimed at improving the genetic quality of a population

what is ethnicity?

the linguistic and cultural characteristics and heritage a person identifies with

what are ethnic groups?

a group of people who share many of the same cultural features and heritage

what is discrimination?

the practice of treating individuals differently simply based on the group (e.g., gender, sex, age, ethnic group) they belong to

what is racism?

a type of discrimination whereby people are treated differently based on the race they belong to. Based on the racialist belief that one race is better than another.

what is racialism?

the idea that race determines specific characteristics and capacities such as intelligence, and that some races are superior to others. Leads to racial stereotypes

what is structural racism?

where the institution and system of power in society are structured such that the subordinate group is disadvantaged or discriminated against. Racism is built into the structure of society.

what is racial profiling?

the discriminatory practice of targeting a person for reasons of safety, security, or public protection based on a stereotype of their race, ethnicity, religion, or place of origin

how to social classes manifest?

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* Through verbal evaluation – i.e., what people say about their own society and groups of people in their society
* Through patterns of association – i.e., informal friendly relations take place mainly within one’s own class
* Through language – e.g., cockney english vs. standard english
* Through symbolic indicators – i.e., activities and possessions indicative of class (e.g., dress, form of recreation, residential location, material possessions, occupation, etc.)

what are sumptuary laws?

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* King Henry VIII introduced an elaborate set of regulations governing how everyone was to dress down to the smallest detail
* The colour, style, and fabric of a person’s clothing signalled that person’s rank in society 
* The main purpose was to mark class distinctions clearly and to prevent any persons from assuming the appearance of a superior class
* The Greeks used footwear as a symbol of wealth and status. Slaves were not allowed to wear shoes
* Roman used footwear as an indication of social class. 
* In Japan, sumptuary laws were applied to the peasant and commercial classes until the mid-19th century

why are there different skin colours?

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* is a function of melanin production in the dermis layer of the skin
* Melanocytes: cells, located in the basal (bottom) layer of the skin, produce melanin, a pigment in the skin, eyes, hair
* Differences in skin colour are not due to the number of melanocytes in the skin, but to the melanocytes’ level of activity

what is systemic racism?

racism is present throughout all aspects of society (political, legal, economic, health care, education, etc.)

what is white privilege?

the implicit or systemic advantages that people who are deemed white have relative to people who are not deemed white

what is Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)?

 initiative intended to right previous wrongs and injustices

equality vs. equity?

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* Equality: same start line for individual advancement
* Equity: focuses on ensuring identical outcomes

what are federally-designated groups? (FDGs)

women, indigenous peoples, racialized/visible minority persons, LGBTQ+, etc.

what is critical race theory (CRT)?

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* Ideas about how power structures and institutions impact racial minorities
* Racism is deeply embedded in all aspects of society.
* Racism is a socially constructed category used to oppress and exploit people of colour