Vincent N. Parrillo Strangers to These Shores

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Vincent N. ParrilloStrangers to These Shores

• The Study of Americas Minorities
• Americas Immigrants

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The Study of Minorities

• Are we a nation of immigrants? Are we the great
  melting pot of all races, religions, and
  nationalities?
• What is the American dream, is it alive?
• Native-born Americans have not always welcomed
  newcomers with open arms.
• We continue to face serious race (ethnic) related
  problems.

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The Stranger as a Social Phenomenon

• Similarity and Attraction
• We like those who are like us and engage in the
  same pursuits.
• Those with similar attitudes, .. Values, ..
  Beliefs, .. Social status, .. or physical
  appearance
• Studies show greater receptivity to strangers who
  are perceived as similar than to those who are
  perceives as different

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Social Distance

• Emory Bogardus (1926)
• Measured the degree of social closeness or
  distance personally acceptable to members of a
  particular group
• A number of studies spanning over 75 yrs.
• With few exceptions, the positioning of response
  patterns is relatively consistant.

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Social Distance Cont.

• Measured the degree of closeness of different
  groups that would be acceptable
• Would accept marrying in my family
• Would accept as a personal friend in my social
  circle
• Would accept as a neighbor on my street
• Would work in the same office
• Would only have as speaking acquaintance
• Would only have a visitors to my country
• Would bar from entering my country

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Social Distance Cont.

• Note the results by thirds of the 30 groups
• Note how consistent the results have been over
  the years
• The results reflect sociohistorical conditions /
  situations
• Note the position of Muslims and Arabs

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Perceptions

• Strangers are perceived through categoric knowing
• Classifications made on the basis of limited
  information
• Native-born Americans, in the past, perceived
  first generation immigrants as a particular kind
  of stranger

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Interactions

• People from the same social world know the
  language,.. Customs,.. Symbols, .. and normative
  behavior patterns, the stranger usually does not.
• Strangers lack a sense of historicity
• A lack of experience, memory

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The Sociological Perspective

• Sociologists use scientific investigation
• Scientific investigation requires theories
• Three main theoretical paradigms
• Functional Theory
• Conflict Theory
• Interactionist Theory

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Functional Theory

• Society is seen as a stable,, cooperative social
  system where everything has a function
  contributing to harmony
• Societal elements function together to maintain
  order, stability, and equilibrium
• Social problems are dysfunctional resulting in
  temporary disorganization
• Rapid change is dysfunctional
• Necessary adjustments restore harmony

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Conflict Theory

• Based on Marxian theory
• Society is continually engaged in conflict
• Conflict is inevitable as people (social
  classes) struggle to meet their interests
• Social change is the result of class struggles
  related to social inequalities
• The Question, Who benefits from inequality,
  exploitation , discrimination?
• The powerful class benefits

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Interactionist Theory

• Focus is on everyday, personal interaction
• This is a micro theory
• Seek to determine the social construction of
  reality
• Shared expectations and cultural understandings
  explain intergroup relations
• Better communication and intercultural
  understanding improve minority-majority relations

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Minority GroupsDevelopment of a Definition

• Groups and group identity are important
  components of race and ethnic relations
• Minority Group Sociologists use it to indicate a
  groups relative power and status in a society
• May be by Race, Ethnicity, Gender

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Minority-Group Characteristics

• Wagley and Harris Five Characteristics
• The group receives unequal treatment
• The group is easily identifiable by physical and
  cultural characteristics
• The group feels a sense of peoplehood
• Membership is an ascribed status
• Group members practice endogamy, they usually
  marry within their group

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Racial and Ethnic Groups

• Race People sharing visible biological
  characteristics, .. Body build, .. Hair texture,
  .. Facial features, Skin color
• Caucasoid, ..Negroid, .. Mongoloid
• Quickly broke down when applied
• We generally use Color for race
• White, Black, Yellow, Red, Brown, ?
• Ultimately race is a social definition
• Ashley Montagu Only one race exists, the human
  race, a dangerous concept

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Racism

• Racism Asserts the superiority of one group
  over another because of biological conditions and
  sociocultural capabilities
• Subordinate group experiences prejudice and
  discrimination
• Dominant group justifies racism on the basis of
  its definitional perceptions
• Perceptions become reality for them

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Ethnic Group

• Groups which share a national (cultural) heritage
  with distinct religious, linguistic or cultural
  characteristics
• They may be racially different but have the same
  cultural heritage
• Japanese, Arabs, Basques, Indians, and Jews are
  often misidentified as racial groups
• They could all be American

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Ethnocentrism

• Ones own group (culture) is used as a reference
  to evaluate other cultures, ethnicities.
• Evaluations of others are often negative
• Ones group is the ingroup the other is an
  outgroup, we / they
• Negative evaluations often result in prejudice
  and discrimination
• The outgroup is sometimes seen as a threat

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Eurocentrism Afrocentrism

• Eurocentrism A variation of ethnocentrism
• Emphasis on Western culture, history, literature,
  achievements, ...
• Afrocentrism A viewpoint emphasizing African
  culture and achievements and its influence on
  American culture
• A counterbalance to the suppression of African
  influence and achievement
• Another variation of ethnocentrism

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The Dillingham Flaw

• Refers to an error in analysis when we apply
  modern (current) classifications or conditions to
  a condition of earlier times
• Comparing current immigration and assimilation
  conditions and outcomes to those of the past (
  2000 to 1900)
• Why dont they learn English and assimilate?
• Previous immigrant groups went through the same
  gradual acculturation process

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Personal Troubles and Public Issues

• C. Wright Mills The Sociological Imagination
• There is an intricate connection between the
  patterns of individual lives and the larger
  historical context of society.
• What we experience in diverse and distinct
  social settings is often traceable to structural
  changes (conditions) and institutional
  contradictions.

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C. Wright Mills Cont.

• Illustration a handful of undocumented aliens,
  sweatshop, their personal trouble,
• But, if large scale smuggling of undocumented
  workers,
• Resulting in an underground economy, need to
  consider the economic and political institutions
  of the society,

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The Dynamics of Intergroup Relations

• Patterns of intergroup relations change and
  depend on industrialization, urbanization,
  migration patterns, social movements and economic
  trends.
• Recent large migrations of diverse peoples into
  Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the
  Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States
  provides a good example. A general backlash,

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Ethnoviolence

• Def. Hostile behavior against people solely
  because of their race, religion, ethnicity, or
  sexual orientation.
• Examples Hate Groups, Others?,

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Key Terms

• Afrocentrism
• Ascribed Status
• Categoric Knowing
• Conflict Theory
• Dillingham Flaw
• Dominant Group
• Ethnocentrism
• Ethnoviolence
• Eurocentrism
• Functional Theory

• Ingroup
• Interactionist Theory
• Latent Functions
• Minority Group
• Outgroup
• Race
• Racism
• Social Distance
• Secondary Group
• Values