Race, Ethnicity, Nationality

Outline

Race

Ethnicity

Nationality

Theoretical Perspectives

“Humanity can be divided into groups in many ways: by culture, by language and by race – which usually means skin colour. Each division depends to some extent on prejudice and, because they do not overlap, can lead to confusion”

Steve Jones, 1991

“Race”

Race is scientifically problematic• genetic diversity between humans less than other animals (ie snails)

People look different, but little evidence that they are significantly different• Cultural differences more important than genetic

But ‘race’ is clearly important and has real consequences as a concept

Race is socially constructed

Video about discrimination

Which physical characteristics matter?Discuss the physical differences which people are classified based on your

experiences and the societies in which you are familiar

Morphology – size and shape of bodies• Muscularity?• Height?• Weight?• Skin tone?

Hair• Colour• Baldness

Ability/ Disability?

“Beauty” – notice ‘sneer’ marks!

Race and Slavery

Racial differences were used to justify slavery

Massive global movements (10mn) from Africa through Europe to US and Carribean

And yet racial distinctions were incredibly difficult to maintain (ie Quatroons)

Race is socially constructed

Slavery still exists

If not race, ethnicity?• “Aspects of relationships between groups which

consider themselves, and are regarded by others, as being culturally distinctive” (Eriksen)

• Ethnicities don’t exist in isolation

• Very often there is a hierarchy of ethnic groups within a society• Status• Material Rewards

• If cultural, what makes an ethnicity different from other cultural groups (e.g. football fans)?

Thin and Thick ethnicity

Thick ethnicity (comprehensive): ethnic or

racial tie that organizes a great deal of

social life and both individual and collective

Action

Thin ethnicity (less comprehensive): ethnic

or racial tie that organizes relatively little of

social life and action.

What is a nation?Which of the following are nation states? Use your discussions to make a

list of the key features of a nation state

Catholic Church

Al QaidaFIFA

Scotland

London

Texas

European Union

Wales

United Nations

Hong Kong

Sociology and the nation state

It is all about power

The nation state has a monopoly of violence over its citizens within a certain border (Weber)

The nation is a key element of capitalism (Marx)

not only supporting the interests of the elite but also

undermining the interest of the global working class

Nationality?

The nation is an ‘imagined community’ (Anderson)

• Imagined (you can’t know everyone)• Limited (inclusion/ exclusion)• Sovereign (independent)

Nationalism is relatively recent (5-600 years)• Sometimes more recent…

Break

Who am I? depends who’s asking…

To an American I’m a European?

To the French I’m British

To a Scot I’m English

To a Geordie I’m a cockney

To a Londoner I’m an Essex boy

To an Essex boy I’m from Southend

To somebody from Southend I’m from Westcliff

Group activityHow do you define yourselves?

• Which labels do you use?– Which labels matter?

• What do these labels mean?• Culture• Language• Location• Physical characteristics?

• Are these labels ascribed or achieved?

• Are they really important (thick) or not very important (thin) identities?

Group workOn your poster paper draw a pair of axes, going from ascribed – achieved,

and thin and thick ethnic identity

Take your group answers from before and place yourselves in a quadrant

Now do the same for the following

ascribed achieved

thick

thin

Australian aboriginal people

Eminem

Irish-Americans at St Patrick’s day

‘King’ Arthur Pendragon

Kevin Pieterson – England cricketer

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

Functionalism

Focus on values and norms

Immigrant – Host model

Assimilation - Multiculturalism

Chicago School

Marxism• Migration integral to international capitalist system

• Increases inequalities between rich and poorer countries

• Migrants usually young• Rich countries haven’t paid for their health/ education• ‘reserve army of labour’

• Prejudice against immigrants helps capitalists• legitimates exploitation• scapegoats (e.g. unemployment)• Divides working class

Post-colonialism

• Importance of nationalism in relationship between coloniser and colonised

• People in post-colonial societies have ambiguous identities• nationality• ethnicity• religion

• Colonialism still an active force in today’s society

• Postcolonialism tries to give voice to the Other

Summary

“Race“ is a fiction, but has serious implications

Ethnicity encompasses culture

Nationality is a modern concept

Different theoretical viewpoints focus on different aspects

Next week – reading week