what is the definition of race? - ANS-a socially constructed category of people who
share biologically transmitted traits that members of society consider important
what is the definition of ethnicity? - ANS-a shared cultural heritage
what is the definition of prejudice? - ANS-a generalized belief, usually unfavorable and
rigid, applied to all members of a specific group
what is the definition of racism? - ANS-the belief that one racial category is innately
superior or inferior to another
what is the scapegoat theory? - ANS-prejudice springs from frustration among people
who are themselves disadvantaged. these are a category of people typically with little
power, whom other people unfairly blame for their own troubles
what is the authoritarian personality? - ANS-there is a personality type (highly
conformist, disciplinarian, cynical, intolerant, and preoccupied with power) prone to
prejudicial thought
what is racial formation theory? - ANS-the process by which social, economic, and
political forces determine the content and importance of racial categories and by which
they are in turn shaped by racial meanings
what is the Bogardus Social Distance scale? - ANS-measures social intimacy, used to
study intergroup relations, a scale to measure social distance between specific
American ethnic groups
what is essentialism? - ANS-a belief that things have a set of unchanging characteristics
that make them what they are; variation among things is just unimportant deviation from
the "essence". racial categories exist apart from any social processes, they are
objective categories of real differences between people
what is constructionism? - ANS-the perspective that reality cannot be separated from
the way that a culture makes sense of it, that meaning is constructed through social,
political, legal, religious and scientific practices
, what are the master statuses? - ANS-race, sex, social class, sexuality and disability
why are they known as master statuses? - ANS-they are the primary axes of differences
in American society. they profoundly affect a persons life
what is naming? - ANS-naming is the terms with which we give categories or groups of
people. naming is how difference is constructed. it involves a claim of identity, assertion
of power, and redefinitions of self
what is aggregating and disaggregating? - ANS-the former is lumping categories of
people together (lumping together people who are Middle Eastern). the latter is
separating one thing into its component parts
what is dichotomizing? - ANS-Dividing groups of people into two opposing and mutually
exclusive categories, often one category is constructed as dominant and the other as
"less than". another example is separating tasks by gender or the one drop rule
what is stigma? - ANS-extreme disapproval of a person based a behavior or quality of
that person
who was Homer Plessy and what is the significance of his case? - ANS-he was the
person who brought the Plessy vs. Ferguson case to the Supreme Court. Plessy
challenged racially segregating seating. It resulted in the upholding of the separate but
equal doctrine as a constitutional right
has the US always had the same classification for race and ethnicity of various groups?
- ANS-No, the classification for race and ethnicity is always changing. There is a
growing diversity. As time moves on, there are more categories and names that we
group people into (going from only white, black, and mulatto, to white, black, American
Indian, and so on)
how do we classify who is Indian and who is not? - ANS-there is no true definition of the
word Indian and who is one and who isnt. However, various Indian groups have
established that 1/4 blood ancestry is what qualifies you as an Indian. This blood degree
is called a blood quantum
How do both Native Americans and the dominant society regard "full bloods" as
compared to "half bloods?" - ANS-The word "pure" is used to describe being a
full-blooded Indian which implies a positive connotation toward full-bloods yet a negative
connotation toward half-bloods, being that they would be tainted by blood that is not
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