American Ethnicity: Ethnicity and Ethnic Relations

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American EthnicityEthnicity and Ethnic Relations

• Presented By
• Meghan, Jaclyn, Brittany, Dave, and Robbie

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Ethnicity and Ethnic Relations

• Ethnic strife exists everywhere. People learn to
  hate each of based on the differences
• People of different ethnic heritages may feel
  threatened by the heritage of others which cause
  this hatred thru fear of other ethnics
• Race is basically implied as the biological
  difference among people that are transmitted from
  generation to generation. (Ex. Skin, color,
  facial, stature)
• These differences are superficial and do not
  really mark a clear boundary. (Those who are of
  mixed ethnicity but have light skin or of the
  opposite and have darker skin.)

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Ethnic Groups

• Ethnic groups is a subpopulation of individuals
  who are labeled and categorized by general
  population as being of a particular ethnicity.
• Subpopulation made of individuals distinguished
  by their history , distinctive behaviors,
  organization, culture, and superficial biological
  differences.
• Minority Group- Ethnic subpopulation in a society
  who are discriminated against by a more powerful
  subpopulation. Usually victim is of the least
  numerous, of minority, but this is not always
  true which raises the question of who can
  discriminate? The more powerful ethnic
  subpopulation is the superordinate group and the
  ethnic subpopulation of lesser power is the
  subordinate group.

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Discrimination

• Discrimination is the process by which an
  individual group denies another group access to
  valued resources.
• Discrimination is also ethnical. When members of
  more superordinate group denies those of the
  subordinate group valued resources.
• Reverse Discrimination is when members of the
  subordinate group deny those who are of the
  superordinate even though those who may no longer
  discriminate anymore

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Types of Discrimination

• Genocide When members of an ethnic
  subpopulation are killed. An entire ethnic group
  is exterminated.
• Expulsion a less intense form of discrimination
  because of those who are exiled from a society
  retain access to at least one highly valued
  resource, life. Expulsion is usually forced.
• Segregation a process of spatially isolating
  members of an ethnic subpopulation in areas where
  they cant have the same access to valued
  resources as people do who are not isolated.
• Exclusion a pattern of discrimination that
  denies members of an ethnic group certain
  positions, independent of the effects of
  segregation. An example of this would be slaves
  and African Americans before the civil rights
  movement because they were denied basic
  citizenship rights.

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• Selective inclusion the process of allowing
  members from ethnic subpopulations into certain
  positions, while at the same time excluding them
  from other positions. An example of this would be
  how Asian immigrants are given access to
  ownership of small retail businesses but excluded
  from most white and blue collar positions.
• Abusive Practices patterns of action against
  the victims of discrimination by members of other
  ethnic groups.
• Environmental racism environmental problems are
  usually apparent in neighborhoods by poor, ethnic
  and powerless people. An example is that disposal
  sites are generally near the poor neighborhoods.
• Racial Profiling Officers use ethnic markers to
  assess the likelihood of potential crime. Members
  of particular ethnic populations are likely to be
  singled out for special surveillance and
  potential harassment by officers. Racial
  Profiling occurs every single day in the United
  States.

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Ethnic Stratification- Discrimination of ethnic
subpopulations

• refers to several processes
• the amount, level, and types of resources an
  ethnic subpopulation typically receives (ex.
  Jobs, education, health, money, power, and
  prestige)
• the defree to which these resource shares locate
  most members of an ethnic population in various
  social hierarchies
• the extent to which these resource shares to
  contribute to behaviors, organiations, and
  cultural systems, that provide justification for
  dominant group for making the ethnic
  subpopulations targets for discrimination.

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• Latino Example
• relatively low incomes
• less education
• varies between which subpopulation an individual
  belongs to.

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• Discrimination causes members of an ethnic
  subpopulation to
• Be overrepresented in lower and working classes
• Be overrepresented in narrow middle class
  positions, usually in various kinds of small
  businesses.

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• The higher the poverty rate, the more and ethnic
  population has been subject to discrimination.
• These people of poverty are denied equal acces to
  quality education which leads to a chain
  reaction.
• Lack of education gtgtgtgtgtPoor Jobs gtgtgtgtgtgtLow
  incomes gtgtgtgtgtgtPoverty

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• Figure 1.1- pg. 14
• Table 1.2 - pg. 16
• Table 1.3 pg. 17
• Table 1.4 pg. 18
• Table 1.5 pg. 19
• Table 1.6 pg. 19
• - These kinds of data give us only the outcome of
  ethnic stratification, they dont tell us how
  discrimination actually works. The next chapters
  lead into this.

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Adaptations to prejudice and discrimination

• Passive acceptance
• Marginal participation
• Assimilation
• Withdrawal and self-segregation
• Rebellion and revolt
• Organized protest
• Ethnognesis

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Passive Acceptance

• A lot of the times if the power of an ethnic
  group is small and the magnitude of the
  discrimination is great, members of the group may
  have no choice to accept the discrimination.
• Passive acceptance is not passive but rather
  active manipulation of a situation.

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Marginal Participation

• Most of the time subordinate ethnic
  subpopulations can find a niche where they can
  use their creative resources and prosper.
• This is possible when the majority is not
  inclined to enter a specialized field. Marginal
  participation are mores effective when the
  minority population is small and does not enter
  areas dominated by the majority.

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Assimilation

• By definition assimilation is the process by
  which the members of an ethnic group become part
  of the broader culture and society, losing their
  distinctive character.
• Italians, Irish and Germans have become largely
  assimilated while African Americans on the other
  hand have a more difficult time assimilating
  because of their visibility and the resulting
  ease with which the majority can locate them as
  targets of discrimination.

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Self-segregation

• Another adaptation to discrimination is
  withdrawal and the creation of a self sustaining
  "society" within the broader society. this is
  know as self segregation which enables a
  population to create and support their own
  communities, businesses, schools, leadership,
  church and other social forms.
• Self segregation is difficult to maintain.
  Opportunities are necessarily limited compared to
  those in the broader society. As a result some
  seek these outside opportunities.

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Rebellion and Revolt

• When subordinate ethnic subpopulations do not
  always accept, assimilate, withdraw, or
  marginally participate, they rebel.
• This rebellion can take a number of forms one
  being general hostility and aggressive behavior
  toward the majority.
• All forms of rebellion involve minorities
  striking back and venting their frustrations
  which can result in mobilizing people for mass
  killings.

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Organized Protest

• Sometimes subordinate ethnic groups become
  organized to make broad-based and concerted
  efforts to change patterns of discrimination.
  This is part of a larger social movement called
  organized protests.
• Beginning with sit-ins and freedom rides in the
  1960s the civil rights movement represents such
  effort. Sometimes this created successful nation
  organizations that effectively change many legal
  and social patterns.

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Ethnogenesis

• At times, prejudicial beliefs and patterns of
  discrimination assume that individuals from
  diverse cultural and ancestral backgrounds are
  "all alike".
• Yet despite the diverse cultures across America,
  prejudice and discrimination often treat target
  ethnics as if they are all the same.
• Ethnogeneis is often used to explain how ethnic
  subpopulations reveal a mix of characteristics,
  some involving assimilation into the dominate
  culture and others unique to their particular
  backgrounds.