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Majority Group

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category of people within a society who possess distinct physical or cultural characteristics and maintain superior power and resources.

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Minority Group

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any category of people with recognizable racial or ethnic traits that place it in a position of restricted power and inferior status so that its members suffer limited opportunities and rewards.

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Prejudice

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a highly negative judgement toward a minority group focusing on one or more characteristics that are supposedly uniformly shared by all group members.

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Discrimination

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the behavior by which one group prevents or restricts a minority group's access to scarce resources.

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Stereotype

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an exaggerated, oversimplified image, maintained by prejudiced people, of the characteristics of the group members against whom they are prejudiced.

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Racism

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belief that actual or alleged differences between racial groups assert the superiority of one racial group.

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Individual

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action performed by one person or group that produces racial abuse.

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Institutional

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discriminatory racial practices built into such prominent structures as the political, economic, and education systems

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3 Types of Individual Racism

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Old-fashioned Racism, Symbolic Racism, and Cultural Camouflage for Modern Racism

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Old-Fashioned Racism

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refers to the openly held belief in the superiority of white race (biological argument)

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Symbolic Racism

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reflects the prejudices against the behavioral deficiencies of the minorities in their deviation from the mainstream values.

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Cultural Camouflage for Modern Racism

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refers to the hidden racist outlook, which only surfaces when opportunity triggers it to do so.

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Ethnocentrism

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tendency to assume that one's culture and way of life are superior to all others.

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Social Distance

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feeling of separation between individuals and groups. Emory Bogardus developed a scale to measure social distance

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What is the significance of race declining (William Julius Wilson)?

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Race relations between blacks and whites emerged over a period: blatant racism in the system of slavery, emancipation of slaves; racial oppression was present along with class conflict (conflict over economic resources), and transition from racial inequalities to class inequalities

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Internal Colonialism Theory

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control over minority group's governance, restriction of a racial minority's freedom of movement, colonial labor principle, and belief in the inferiority of a minority group's culture and social organization

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Davis, Gardner,& Gardner's Caste Theory

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a socially legitimated arrangement of groups in which the ranking of the different groups is specified, and the movement of individuals from one group to another is prohibited.

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John Dollard's Cast Theory

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Advantages of whites for holding a dominant position in a caste system: economic benefit, sexual gain, prestige gain

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Oliver Cromwell Cox's Theory of Racism (lynching as a tool)

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claims that blacks are twice oppressed, both economically and racially. (double exploitation)

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Sidney Wilhelm's Theory of Racism

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'Restricted educational and occupational opportunities' for the blacks leaves them less prepared in a post-industrial world.

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Patricia Hill Collins' Black Feminist Though

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both black thought and consciousness should emerge out of lives and personal experiences of black women.

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Robert Parks' Cycle of Race Relations

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Contact => competition => accommodation => assimilation

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Milton Gordon's Assimilation Theory

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Assimilation happens at seven levels:Cultural Assimilation, Structural Assimilation, Marital Assimilation, Identificational Assimilation, Prejudice-free Assimilation, Discrimination-free Assimilation, and Civic Assimilation

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Nathan Glazer & Daniel Patrick Moynihan's Theory of Pluralism

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Instead of assimilation, racial and ethnic minority groups are viewed to have a potential of being 'interest groups'.

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Stephen Steinberg's Critique of Glazer & Moynihan

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Four reasons why ethnic revival is in decline: Distance from the homelands, Interdependence of Ethnic Communities with the General Society, The Decline of Ethnic Prejudice, and Homogenizing Trend in the Modern Societies

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Gordon Allport's Theory on Prejudice

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Pregeneralized Learning (around 6yrs of age) - prejudice against particular individual is learnt; not against the whole race or ethnic group.; Total Rejection (around 8 to 11 yrs of age) - conveyed through language and parental instructions total rejection of a racial/ethnic minority is possible.; Differentiation (around 15yrs) - learning the 'double-talk' of both racial equality and prejudice (cultural camouflage of modern racism).

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Gordon Allport's Frustration-Aggression Theory or Scapegoat Theory

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he frustrations of failure in achieving ones goals are usually channeled through aggression; The true source of frustration is substituted by a scapegoat. Example, frustrations of unemployment might result in blaming minorities for 'taking all their jobs'

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Conditions for Scapegoating

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visibility of minority group, weaker position / unable to retaliate, physically accessible / proximity, hostility from past, and symbol of an unpopular concept

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Theodore Adorno's Theory of Authoritarian Personality

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Correlation has been identified between an individuals' 'early childhood experiences of harsh parental discipline' and their 'development of an authoritarian personality'

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Racial Structure

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refers to 'the totality of the social relations and practices that reinforce white privilege'.

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Ideology

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refers to a set of interrelated beliefs, values, attitudes, and norms that are used to explain and/or justify change or preservation of the status quo

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Racial Ideology

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refers to 'the racially based frameworks used by actors to explain and justify or challenge the racial status quo.

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Donald Noel's Theory of Ethnic Stratification

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Three conditions for racial stratification to emerge: ethnocentrism, competition for scarce resources, and dominance of one group over the other.

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Four viewpoints on Race Relations

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Racial Optimists, Racial Pesoptimists, Symbolic Racism, and Laissez-faire Racism

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Racial Optimists

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these scholars agree that racism is in decline and race relations are heading in a positive direction

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Racial Pesoptimists

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these scholars believe that both the elements are present - elements of racial liberalism (end of segregation, equal opportunity) and policy rejection (rejecting policies such as affirmative action)

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Symbolic Racism

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these scholars argue that racism still persists in a different form. Judging minorities based on 'traditional American moral values' (protestant work ethic) results in their racial resentment.

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Laissez-faire Racism

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these scholars claim that racism persists as the minority groups are judged culturally inferior. Example, they are usually blamed for their poor economic standing.

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Color-Blind Racism

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highlights the structural and material factors rather than the individual and psychological ones.

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Abstract Liberalism

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Using ideas associated with political liberalism (e.g., equal opportunity) and economic liberalism (e.g., freedom, choice, individualism) in an abstract manner to explain racial matters.

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Naturalization

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Allows whites to explain away racial phenomenon by suggesting they are natural occurrences.

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Cultural Racism

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Using the cultural arguments to explain the standing of minorities in society. Example: "Mexicans do not put much emphasis on education", "blacks have too many babies".

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Minimization of Racism

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Discrimination is no longer a central factor affecting minorities' life chances. Example: "Its better now than in the past", "There is discrimination, but there are plenty of jobs out there".

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