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Sociology - Chapter 8 Race and Ethnicity
What are ethnicity and race essay
Sociology - Chapter 8 Race and Ethnicity
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Everyday the future in America looks brighter for the issues dealing with race and identity. Brave souls are not letting racism, class discrimination, or sexism hold them back anymore. Furthermore, the fight for a balanced society that pushes for equality is on the horizon. As we close on an era, based on purely the skin of the person, we need to analyze the impacts of the Ethnicity paradigm and Class paradigm on politics of the 20th century. Race and Ethnicity are used interchangeable in everyday conversation, however; they are not the same.
In the reading this week by Smedley and Smedley, the differences between ethnicity and race are discussed and the terms defined. Ethnicity is described as a group of people who have a common cultural trait, share a common language, area of origin, religion, and history (Smedley & Smedley 2005). The culture is learned, and is transferable to other people within the group (Smedley & Smedley 2005). Race is defined as physical features such as skin color or hair texture (Smedley & Smedley 2005). “Ethnicity was recognized as plastic, and transmissible, but race conveyed the notion of differences that could not be transcended” (Smedley & Smedley, 2005, p. 19).
1. Ethnicity (10/265) – a system for classifying people who are believed to share common descent, based on perceived cultural similarities. • My ethnicity is Hispanic. 2. Race (10/265) – a system for classifying people who are believed to share common descent, based on perceived innate physical similarities.
Common Assessment Essay Race is defined as people who have differences and similarities in biological traits deemed by society to be socially significant. Throughout American history, race has played a key role in shaping the formation of America. Wars were fought over race, and many died due to the color of their skin. Native Americans endured a significant amount of hardship due to what others thought about them. They were known as savages and murderers.
In “Learning in the Shadow of Race and Class”, Bell Hooks describes her feeling that relate to race , class , and education . The article shows us that race and class are two of the leading factors to perdition between humans. Bell describes the hard times that she faced in her life . In the beginning of the article , Bell talks about the relationship between desire and shame . Because her parents could not afford her desires they told her that she did not need them and shamed her into not wanting them.
The Intersectionality of Race, Class, and Gender: Understanding Marked and Unmarked Categories Introduction The concept of intersectionality has gained significant attention in recent years, especially in academic and social justice circles. Intersectionality refers to the interconnectedness of various social categories, such as race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability, and how these intersect to shape individuals' experiences. The idea of marked and unmarked categories is a key aspect of intersectionality, particularly in relation to racial identities. This essay will explore the concept of marked and unmarked categories, with a focus on race, class, and gender, using references from Kimberlé Crenshaw's TED Talk, Lisa Wade's Gender Sociology, and @PracticalPsychologyTips' YouTube video on Social Identity Theory.
We have marched on through history and have viewed race from all three of sociology’s main perspectives. And now, in the midst of the protests in Ferguson we are met once more with simple-minded people who know not of the definition of race. There is not a single chromosome in the bodies of whites that differ in the bodies of blacks. Race is a matter of pigmentation of skin, the amount of melatonin our skin holds, or the texture of our hair. Race is a social construct based merely on appearance, not on biological or genomic science.
“The Most Eulogistic of the Dyslogistic”: Burke and the Usage of “Person of Colour” The term “person of colour” is currently the preferred and most politically correct way to refer to non-white people in the United States. (I use “non-white” as a placeholder here; its implications are discussed further in the following paragraph.) Even so, it is not without its problems. When using the question-begging appellative of “person of colour”, one is inadvertently participating in a system that continues to label non-white people in a manner that directly connects to more antiquated terms that Bentham refers to as “dyslogistic” (Burke, 92), or negative, and emphasises binary categorisation between those who are white and those who are“other”, effectively harming the people that the term is in some way trying to define.
Sociologists define race as a social construct because society has classified various groups of people based on physical characteristics such as skin color under the assumption that other characteristics would also be similar. This had occurred without any biological proof of correlation. This has also led to faulty belief systems such as racism, ethnocentrism, and the propensity for stereotyping. Fortunately, the intermarriages between races and subsequent procreation has helped cracked the facade of racial differences, at least those that aren't manufactured by society. I have a biracial niece whose father is black and mother is white.
Race and ethnicity are two terms which are used interchangeably in every day conversation, however, there is a distinction between the two. Race is a categorization of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior, often on the basis of phenotype – observable physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, eye shape, or other selective attributes. Race is a social construct and has been known to change with historical and political events. Contrarily, ethnicity does not necessarily provide visual clues, instead, ethnicity is categorized on the basis of a shared common culture and includes elements such as language, norms, customs, religion, music, art, literature. Ethnic Groups are developed by their unique history
Two factors that contribute to health disparities among ethnic groups is the lack of access to fresh food and the infrequency of health care coverage within ethnic groups. Within the poorer communities where the populations are those of ethnicity they may not have the same access to grocery stores as those non-ethnic groups residing outside of the lower income regions. By not having access to grocery stores they do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and are forced to purchase foods that are processed since they have a longer shelf life. Processed foods in most cases are not as healthy as fresh foods and there is a tendency to purchase foods that are considered junk food or items that are unhealthy. These unhealthy food choices
Just to be clear, the majority being described is the white (especially Anglo-Saxon), male demographic that makes up a large part of the United States’ population, and the minorities being described
Race is defined as the categorization of individuals based on their physical characteristics, i.e. skin color, facial structure, etcetera. Ethnicity is defined as the categorization of individuals based on their respective social or cultural groups, and is not based upon race. Both race and ethnicity are similar systems of categorization, yet, although race is on the basis on physical features while ethnicity is based on one’s social or cultural background. The concept of race was created by European imperialists and colonialists during the early 17th century, when the slave trade began. The white imperialists needed a system of categorization in order to justify the sharp uptick in the use of the African body as slaves.
This chapter explains the difference between race and ethnicity and how they came about. It also explains the advantages and disadvantages some have due to the creation of race. Race and ethnicity have strong foundations not only within countries, but between them. Globalization has increased the individual’s ethnic identities, but has also put some at disadvantages. Having different races and ethnicities is not an issue, but ranking the different races and putting others at disadvantages creates issues.
Race, nationality and ethnicity Race and ethnicity are seen as form of an individual’s cultural identity. Researchers have linked the concept of “race” to the discourses of social Darwinism that in essence is a categorization of “types” of people, grouping them by biological and physical characteristics, most common one being skin pigmentation. Grouping people based on their physical traits has lead in time to the phenomenon of “racialization” (or race formation), as people began to see race as more of a social construct and not a result or a category of biology.
