ethnicity and race-lecture 4 ..3

8/6/2019 Ethnicity and Race-Lecture 4 ..3

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Ethnicity and Race

Lecture # 4


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Ethnic Groups

Ethnicity refers to cultural practices and outlook that distinguish agiven community of people

They see themselves culturally distinct from others in a society interms of language, history, ancestry, religion, style of dress or

adornment, etc Plural societies have several larger ethnic groupings, involved in

the same political and economical order but otherwise quitedistinct from one another

Most post- colonial societies are plural societies

E

thnic distinctions are rarely neutral. They are commonlyassociated with marked inequalities of wealth and power as wellas with hostility between groups


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Minorities

As understood in sociology, a minority group has thefollowing features; Its members are disadvantaged, as a result of

discrimination by others

Members of the minority have some sense of groupsolidarity of belonging together

Minority groups to some degree are physically and sociallyisolated from larger communities

In some cases the minority groups may consists ofthe majority of the population- e.g. South Africa


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Ethnic prejudice and discrimination

Prejudice refers to opinions or attitudes held bymembers of one group about another whereasDiscrimination refers to the actual behaviortowards them

Prejudice involves holding preconceived viewsabout an individual or group-both favorable andnegative

Discrimination refers to activities which serve todisqualify the members of one from opportunities

open to others


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Race and Biology

Physical difference in humans is a result of population inbreedingwhich varies according to the degree of contact between differentsocial and cultural units

Racial difference should be understood as physical variationsingled out by the members of a community or society

Racial formation refers to the process by which socialeconomical and political forces determine the content andimportance of racial categories and which in turn are shaped byracial meanings

Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant ofhuman traits and capacities and that racial differences produce

an inherent superiority of a particular race Aracist is someone who believes that a biological explanation

can be given for characteristics of superiority or inferioritysupposedly possessed by people of a given physical stock


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Race

Race is a creation of culture that reflects social distinctions andpower

To say that race is a social construction does not mean that raceis not real

In the 18th and 19th century scholars dedicated themselves toidentify and rank different variations in humankind

Early race was though of as a biological concept, but now mostof anthropologists and sociologists suggest that the truth aboutthe race lies in the terrain of innate characterizes of which skincolor and other physical attributes provide only the most obvious

indicators


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Race as a Social Concept

Sociologists have rejected biological notions of racein favor of race as a social concept

Max Weber discounted biological explanations forracial conflict and instead highlighted the social and

political factors which fuel such conflict Race is assumed to be a variable which is shaped

by broader societal forces

Race is socio-historical concept where meanings ofrace are given concrete expressions by the specificsocial relations and historical context


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Stereotypes and Scapegoats

Prejudice operates mainly through the use of

stereotypical thinking

Stereotyping is often closely linked to the

psychological mechanism of displacement Scapegoating is normally directed against groups

that are distinctive and relatively powerless

Scapegoating frequently involves projection, the

unconscious attribution of others of ones owndesires or characteristics


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Sociological interpretations

We can separate sociological interpretations ofethnic hostilities and conflicts into two groups; thosethat apply generally and those which relate mainly toethnic antagonism

General Factors Ethnocentrism

Group closure

Resource allocation

Some of the modern ethnic conflicts have to beunderstood in terms of history of the expansion ofthe west and the colonies


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Racial Identity

Without racial identity one is in a danger of havingno identity

Rules shaped by our perception of race in a

comprehensive racial society determines thepresentation of self

Race becomes common sense- a way ofcomprehending explaining and acting in the world

Racial ideology is constructed from pre-existingconceptual elements and emerges from thestruggles of competing political projects and ideasseeking to articulate similar elements differently


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Micro-level and Macro-level of Social

Relations At the micro-level, race is a matter of individuality, of

the formation ofidentity. The ways in which weunderstand ourselves and interact with others, thestructuring of our practical activity -- in work andfamily, as citizens and as thinkers -- these are allshaped by racial meanings and racial awareness

At the macro-level, race is a matter ofcollectivity, ofthe formation of social structures: economic, political

and cultural/ideological


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The historical development of Race

In the United States, the racial category of

"black" evolved with the consolidation of

racial slavery

With slavery, a racially based understanding

of society was set in motion which resulted in

the shaping of a specific racial identity not

only for the slaves but for the Europeansetters as well


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Black wealth/White wealth

Sociologists must also examine racial-ethnic differences in theindicators of socioeconomic status. For example wealth discrepanciesbetween African American and European Americans

Race has a unique cultural meaning in American Society whereinblacks have been oppressed in such a manner as to perpetuate theirinferiority and second-class citizen

Class explanation emphasizes the relational position of blacks andwhites in a society and the differential access to power

The whites both dominated the occupational hierarchy and ownedmost of the resources thus maintained their power position

ownership carries with it domination and absence leads tosubordination

Class division between blacks and resource rich and powerful whites In modern time racism is used as an evidence as racial disparities in

incomes, jobs and housing

Racial difference in wealth provides an important means of combiningrace and class arguments about racial inequality


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Towards a Sociology of Race and Wealth

Wealth is a combination of inheritance, earning and saving and isenhanced by prudent consumption patterns over a personslifetime

If ones family origin is wealthy chances of accumulating more

wealth in a lifetime is greater Economists therefore explain the differences in wealth

accumulation by pointing to the lack of resources that blacksinherit compared to whites, their low investment patterns andtheir extravagant patterns of consumption

However the major reason why black and whites differ in their

ability to accumulate wealth is not only that they come fromdifferent class background but in part there are barriers thatdenied blacks access to quality education, job trainingopportunities, jobs, investment opportunities etc


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Racialization of the State

State plays an important role in providingopportunities to acquire land, building communitiesand generating wealth through its state policies

Slaves had very limited economic right, they werenot allowed to own lands or accumulate assets

Inequality between blacks and whites occurredbecause blacks had barriers thrown up against themin their quest for material self sufficiency

Every circumstance of bias and discriminationagainst blacks has produced a circumstance andopportunity of positive gain for whites

ethnicity and race-lecture 4 ..3

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