Racial and Ethnic Inequality and Conflict

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Chapter 11

• Racial and Ethnic Inequality and Conflict

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Intergroup Conflict

• Much of the prejudice among groups is not based
  on race.
• Examples
• Antagonisms between Protestants and Catholics in
  the U.S. during the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Conflict between English- and French-speaking
  Canadians.
• Continuing massacres in Africa.
• Tensions between groups in Iraq

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Ethnic Groups

• Groups with different cultural heritages.
• The differences must both bind a group together
  (sense of we) and separate it from other groups.

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Race

• A race is a human group with common biological
  features.
• Racial groups differ in skin color, eyelid shape,
  the color and texture of hair and blood type.
• Features of race on a continuum humans draw
  the lines that construct race
• Racial differences are important only because
  people attach cultural meaning to them.
• Race matters because people believe race matters

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Theories

• Certainly possible to talk of prejudice in the
  head personality some have it some dont
• But perhaps more fruitful to see prejudice in all
  of us
• What factors explain why prejudice so normal?

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Why is there intergroup conflict?

• Ethnocentrism Belief in superiority of ones
  own culture
• Stark critical of prejudice (ethnocentrism is one
  form) causes conflict argument
• But important to recognize this a tendency in all
  of us law of liking, ingroup vs. outgroup
• Identifiability
• Physical differences makes it easy to think
  stereotypically (generalization that supposedly
  describes all members of a group)
• Catch yourself he is a bad driver or (if
  different race) they are bad drivers

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Why continued

• Competition
• Scarcity competition conflict/dislike
• Gordon Allports Nature of Prejudice
• Sherif and Sherif summer camp study
• Status Inequality (group differences in
  (property, power, prestige)
• Allport argued inequality reinforced dominant
  groups views of superiority
• and subordinate groups views of inferiority
• Status Inequality subordinate must submit

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Example Catholics vs. Protestants

• Contact in late 1800s, early 1900s Irish,
  Italians
• Culturally different
• Stark deemphasizes too much?
• Contact characterized by status inequality (3 Ps)
• Competition
• ethnic groups often compete for jobs will often
  work for less
• Prejudice subsided when Catholics gained economic
  parity and competed less directly
• But also, cultural differences subsided
  (assimilation)

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Self Fulfilling Prophecy (SFP)

• False definition produces new behavior and makes
  the original false definition come true
• W. I. Thomas Theorem situations defined as real
  are real in their consequences

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SFP explaining inequality

• Contact often characterized by similar factors
• Ethnocentrism, identifiability, status
  inequality, competition
• These things cause prejudice and racism (negative
  feelings about group)
• Prejudice results in discrimination (deny
  privileges)
• Discrimination limits opportunities (by
  definition)
• Discrimination reinforces and contributes to
  status inequality
• Inequality reinforces prejudice

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There are also micro-level implications of the SFP

• Labeling theory
• What would be the identify effects of being
  treated as if you are inferior?
• Eye of the Storm

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Example Slavery In US, slavery a result of
prejudice and a cause of prejudice

• Declaration of Independence (all men created
  equal) poses An American Dilemma
• How could Fathers write this?
• Black people not human
• Seen as not human because they were slaves or
  visa versa?
• i.e., only contact (more or less) was seeing
  black people as slaves

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Illustration.

• Imagine world with people of many colors (green,
  blue, purple)
• Stark points out people of all colors have been
  slaves
• Green people pick the Blues to be slaves
• Lets assume nothing against blue people have
  the power to enslave them
• No greater status inequality than master/slave
• Blues denied education, sold as livestock,
  completely dependent and subservient this
  defines the relationship

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Effects of this status inequality

• How do Greens see Blues?
• Green children see Blue children doing what?
• How do Blues see Greens?
• How do Blues see themselves?
• Inequality and mistreatment would have a
  devastating impact on identity, correct?
• If the enslavement of Blues ends what happens?
  Patterns above change?

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Point?

• Prejudice and racism (one race is superior to
  another) no doubt sometimes causes inequality
• But perhaps more important (certainly is to
  Stark), inequality causes prejudice and racism
• How to overcome?
• Status equality, tasks of cooperation (rather
  than competition)

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Bonacich Why People Will Accept Low Wages

• Very low standard of living.
• Lack of information. They are unaware of
  minimum wage laws and have no way to collect
  unpaid wages.
• Lack of political power They lack citizenship
  or be unable to force favorable reforms.
• Economic motives - They often intend to be
  temporary workers
• Conclusion ethnic group an economic threat
  cheap labor threatens to make all labor cheap.

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Origins of Ethnic and Racial Pluralism in the US
- 4 stages of national development

• Settlement
• Colonists came to create a New England in image
  of one they left
• Majority English speaking, overwhelming majority
  Protestant
• Little diversity little tolerance of diversity
• Expansion
• Indians seen as nomadic and uncivilized no
  rightful claim to land
• Manifest Destiny right to settle and conquer
  granted by God
• Conquered Native Americans, annexed Mexican
  territory

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4 stages continued

• 3. Agricultural Development
• No surplus population for cheap labor slavery a
  solution
• 4. Industrial Development
• Immigrants from Asia (China and Japan) to west
• Flood of white ethnics to Northeast

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We are a Nation of Immigrants

• Columbus discovered America?
• So why the animosities?
• E.g., California migrants to Wash
• Major waves of immigration typically met with
  doomsday predictions
• E. A. Ross quote p. 308-309

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Three Elements of Group Upward Mobility in the
U.S.

• Geographical concentration.
• Internal economic development and occupational
  specialization.
• Development of a middle class.

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Asian Americans - Chinese

• Currently about 4 of the population
• Largest group Chinese
• First came during Gold rush in 1800s
• Another peak during mid to late 1800s worked
  the railroad
• Peak year 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act (not
  repealed until 1943)
• Scarcity of women essentially no women came to
  US (ratios)
• Immigration banned 1882-mid1900s no group
  singled out as much?

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Asian Americans - Japanese

• 1907 peak year
• Yellow Peril William Randolf Hearst
• Along with Chinese, settled in west
• Workers and unions see them as a threat
• 1920s immigration laws all but eliminated Asian
  immigrants
• Only ethnic group to be imprisoned
• 1942 - relocation camps
• 100,00, 2/3 of which native born
• German and Italians not imprisoned
• Japanese-Amer in Hawaii not imprisoned

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Model Minority?

• Stereotype, and all stereotypes unfair
• Why the success culture?
• 3 mechanisms that seem relevant (enclave economic
  theory)
• Geographic concentration (some political power)
• Economic development
• Geographic concentration economic dependence on
  one another
• Language
• Middle class
• Geographic concentration development of
  middle-class positions
• Like Jewish and Cuban immigrants

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Hispanic Americans

• In 2000 Census, outnumber African Americans (12.6
  to 12.3)
• Hispanic is a US Bureau of Census designation
  (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban 3 largest)
• Cubans highest SES
• First wave fled Castro MC
• Next 2 waves poor, mentally ill, prisoners
• Older than other hispanics
• Puerto Rican lowest SES

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African Americans

• Behind Asian and Cubans in SES, ahead of Mexican
  and Puerto Rican
• Stark move from poor south to north means AA are
  recent immigrants
• South of 1800s and first ½ 1900s far behind the
  north
• Since 1960s AA made significant gains
• Legacy of slavery, lack of a homeland, visibility
  make AA experience unique

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Educational Achievementof Americans Age 2535
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Relative Educational Gainsby African Americans,
19602000
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Concluding Thoughts

• Brain Drain?
• Refugee status
• Immigration and illegal immigration
• Build a wall
• President Bush moderate on this issue
• female headed rate 3 times as high in AA
  families as white families

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Concluding thoughts on cause of prejudice and
racism

• Status inequality and competition cause conflict
• SFP makes it difficult to fix
• Prejudice discrimination limited opportunity
  low SES and power proof that beliefs
  correct
• Also an identity effect of prejudice micro SFP
• Status equality decline in prej
• Video on Texas system