Chapter 10
Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Chapter Outline The Concept of Race The Concept of Ethnic Group Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Relations Racial and Ethnic Immigration to the
United States
The Concept of Race Race refers to a category of people who
are similar because of physical characteristics.
Races have been defined along genetic, legal, and social lines, each presenting its own set of problems.
Genetic Definitions of Race Differences in traits, such as hair and
nose type, have proved of no value in making classifications of human beings.
Similarities appear to be far greater than any physical differences including skin color.
Legal Definitions There has been little consistency among the
legal definitions of race. The state of Missouri made “one-eighth or
more Negro blood” the criterion for nonwhite status.
As recently as 1982, a dispute arose over Louisiana’s law requiring anyone of more than 1/32 African descent to be classified as black.
Question The term race refers to a category of people
who are defined as similar because they:
A. have a unique and distinctive genetic makeup.
B. share a number of physical characteristics.
C. exhibit similar behaviors.
D. express comparable attitudes.
Answer: B The term race refers to a category of
people who are defined as similar because they share a number of physical characteristics.
Social Definitions In the 2000 census people were able to
declare as members of any one or more of five categories: American Indian/Alaskan Native Asian African-American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander White
Question To what extent do you agree with this
statement: “Whites as a group are very distinct and different from ethnic and racial minority groups.”
A. Strongly agreeB. Agree somewhatC. UnsureD. Disagree somewhatE. Strongly disagree
Facts about Racial Intermarriage
There are over 3 million racial intermarriages a year in the United States.
Racial intermarriages represent 5.4% of all married couples. This is up from 1% in 1970
The most common types of intermarriages are between white men and Asian or multiple-race women.
Intermarriage between minority racial groups is much less likely.
The least common type of intermarriage is between white and blacks.
Facts about Racial Intermarriage
People who intermarry are younger and bettereducated than average couples.
Three million children are growing up in interracialfamilies. This is up from 900,000 in 1970.
Black men are much more likely to intermarry than black women. Ten percent of black men have a nonblack spouse.
More than 10% of the married couples in Hawaii,California, Oklahoma, Alaska, and Nevada wereinterracial.
Question I would like to marry someone of a
different racial or ethnic group.
A. Strongly agree
B. Agree somewhat
C. Unsure
D. Disagree somewhat
E. Strongly disagree
The Concept of Ethnic Group An ethnic group has a distinct cultural tradition
that its own members identify with and that may not be recognized by others.
They adhere to customs, maintain similarity in family patterns, religion, and cultural values.
They often possess distinct folkways and mores; customs of dress, art, and ornamentation; moral and value systems; and patterns of recreation.
The group is usually devoted to a monarch, religion, language, or territory.
The Concept of Minority Louis Wirth’s definition of a minority: A group of people who, because of
physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from others in society for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.
Question Which of the following would qualify as a
minority group in U.S. society according to the sociological definition of the term?
A. homosexuals
B. the elderly
C. people with disabilities
D. all of these choices are correct
Answer: D Homosexuals, the elderly and people
with disabilities would qualify as a minority group in U.S. society according to the sociological definition of the term.
Prejudice An irrationally based negative, or
occasionally positive, attitude toward certain groups and their members.
Discrimination Differential treatment, usually unequal
and injurious, accorded to individuals who are assumed to belong to a particular category or group.
Institutionalized Prejudice and Discrimination Complex societal arrangements that
restrict the life chances and choices of a specifically defined group, in comparison with those of the dominant group.
The Interaction of Prejudice and Discrimination
Question The problems of racial prejudice and
discrimination in U.S. society are over stated.
A. Strongly agreeB. Agree somewhatC. UnsureD. Disagree somewhatE. Strongly disagree
Social Functions of Prejudice A prejudice helps draw together those
who hold it. When two or more groups are competing
for access to scarce resources it is easier to write off competitors as unworthy.
Prejudice allows us to project onto others those parts of ourselves that we do not like and therefore try to avoid facing.
Merton’s Classifications of Prejudice and Discrimination Unprejudiced Nondiscriminators
Not prejudiced against other groups and do not practice discrimination.
Unprejudiced discriminators Free from racial prejudice, but will
keep silent when bigots speak out.
Merton’s Classifications of Prejudice and Discrimination Prejudiced Nondiscriminators
Hesitate to express their prejudices when in the presence of those who are tolerant.
Prejudiced discriminators Do not believe in equality, and do not
hesitate to give free expression to their intolerance.
Question Stan is the manager of an apartment building.
He has a strong prejudice against anyone who is Asian. However, he has rented to several people who have an Asian heritage rather than risk violating fair housing laws. According to Merton's typology, Stan would be a(n):
A. unprejudiced nondiscriminator.B. unprejudiced discriminator.C. prejudiced nondiscriminator.D. prejudiced discriminator.
Answer: C Stan would be a prejudiced
nondiscriminator.
Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Relations
1. Assimilation - groups with different cultures come to have a common culture.
2. Pluralism - development and coexistence of separate racial and ethnic group identities within a society.
3. Subjugation – subordination of one group and the assumption of of authority, power, and domination by the other.
Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Relations
4. Segregation - a form of subjugation, refers to the act, process, or state of being set apart.
5. Expulsion - forcing a group to leave the territory in which it resides.
6. Annihilation - deliberate extermination of a racial or ethnic group.
Pluralism The coexistence of separate racial and
ethnic group identities within a society. Horace Kallen, born in Germany, was
responsible for the development of the theory of cultural pluralism.
Question The process through which different
cultures merge to have one common culture is:
A. pluralism.
B. assimilation.
C. subjugation.
D. expulsion.
Answer: B The process through which different
cultures merge to have one common culture is assimilation.
Immigration Today In 2000: 53.3% of the foreign-born population were
from Latin America, 25% from Asia and 13.7% from Europe.
Latin America and Asia accounted for 78.2% of the foreign-born population, up from 28.3% percent in 1970.
Where Do Immigrants Come From?
Racial and Ethnic Makeup of U.S. Population, 2000 and 2050
Cities With Large Hispanic Populations, 2000
Place and State
% Hispanic of Total Population
El Paso, TX 76.6
San Antonio, TX
58.7
Los Angeles, CA
46.5
Houston, TX 37.4
Dallas, TX 35.6
Cities With Large Hispanic Populations, 2000
Place and State
% Hispanic of Total Population
Phoenix, AZ 34.1
San Jose, CA 30.2
New York, NY 27.0
Chicago, IL 26
San Diego, CA 25.4
Quick Quiz
1. A group of people who are singled out for differential treatment is called:
A. a minority group.
B. a race.
C. an ethnic group.
D. a subordinate group.
Answer: A A group of people who are singled out for
differential treatment is called a minority group.
2. An irrationally based negative, or occasionally positive, attitude toward certain groups and their members is:
A. discrimination.
B. prejudice.
C. dysfunctional attitudes.
D. bigotry.
Answer: B An irrationally based negative, or
occasionally positive, attitude toward certain groups and their members is prejudice.
3. Discrimination is best described as:
A. differential treatment that is usually unequal and injurious.
B. a rational negative attitude towards a minority group.
C. societal arrangements that restrict life chances of the dominant group.
D. societal arrangements that restrict life chances of the minority group.
Answer: A Discrimination is best described as
differential treatment that is usually unequal and injurious.
4. Which of the following is a negative function of prejudice?
A. Prejudice draws together those who hold it.
B. Prejudice allows us to project onto others the parts of ourselves we do not like.
C. Prejudice limits our vision of the world around us.
D. All of the choices are correct.
Answer: C A negative function of prejudice is that it
limits our vision of the world around us.
5. A group that has a distinct cultural tradition with which its own members identify and which may or may not be recognized by others is known as a(n):
A. subculture.
B. race.
C. minority.
D. ethnic group.
Answer: D A group that has a distinct cultural
tradition with which its own members identify and which may or may not be recognized by others is known as an ethnic group.
