Race and Ethnicity
The Problems with Classicaons
Denion of race and ethnicity are uid – able to change
Understanding and expression of identy can change (likely because the culture itself
that people idenfy with changes over me
Bases of social inequalies
Social relaons in a society. SOCI 1001 Week 10 – Lecture notes 10 Essay.
o Structured relaons between individuals and instuons and between groups
Race, ethnicity, and racism aren’t the same, but they are connected
o No biological bases for race but racism is real
o
Race is a social construct
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E.g. African Americans who visited Ghana were considered ‘white’ by
local Ghanians
o Racial categories are directly inuenced by the historical and cultural contexts
they are created in
Race has been used as a determinant of someone’s class or status
Race is not biologically meaningful
o No real biological disncons between di/erent races. In the past though,
people did believe there was a real di/erence (e.g. hierarchy of intelligence
based on skin colour – proven to be wrong regardless)
Race is product of socio-historical processes, not scienc
o People in the past have tried to use science to categorize or classify races, but
they sll did that because of their socio-historical context
Racial groups aren’t clear cut
o Hard to see biologically disnct groups. Think of “mixed race” people and realize
that everyone has a vast racial background
Social Race vs Biological Race
o Some people use race as if it reects biological di/erences
Racialized expressions of biology
Arbitrary biological traits used to classify people
However, an issue because then can be basis of stereotypes and racist
a7tudes – polics of race and racism
o Idencaon of race, however, can also be a recognion of contemporary and
historical inequalies and injusces
E.g. a9rmave acon promong diversity. Universies having a
minimum of how many students of colour to admit into the school to
make sure these minories are also given opportunies
Noam Chomsky (what a nice guy)
o Said that even if there were di/erences between races, like if one race was
biologically proven to be more intelligent than another, it would only ma:er in a
racist society.SOCI 1001 Week 10 – Lecture notes 10 Essay.
Because if it ma:ered, we would no longer be evaluang people as
individuals but rather as a representave of a category
Racializaon
o The process by which sociees construct races as real, di/erent, and unequal in
ways that ma:er to economic, polical, and social life
o A:ribuon process – a:ribung a certain socio, polical, or economic status to a
race
o Racialized groups – groups of people who have been marginalized because of
their race
o Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) use the term “racialized person”
instead of “racial minority” “visible minority” “person of colour” or “non-White”
Racializaon pt. 2
o The process in which people are viewed and judged as essenally di/erent in
terms of their intellect, morality, values, because of di/erences of outward
physical appearance
o Gender and race
Must recognize the connecons between the two – interseconality
Essenalism – the idea that there is an inherent biological di/erence
between races and genders
“This race is smarter than this race biologically”; “Men are smarter than
women biologically” yikes
o Racializaon of ethnicity
Three ways to measure ethnicity: origin or ancestry, race, and identy
(Stascs Canada old ethnicity classicaon – no longer used)
More subtle dimensions of racial ethnicity can also be included – culture,
arts, customs, beliefs, food preparaon (do you season your chicken??)
Groups
o Minority Group: A group which is disadvantaged (economically, polically) and
subject to unequal or unfair treatment
o Majority group: A group which is advantaged as a group relave to other groups
and has greater resources in society
o Di/erent life chances and opportunies
o Majority/minority does not automacally mean numerical numbers
E.g. In Kosovo, the ethnic-Albanian populaon was larger but the
Serbians commi:ed genocide against them. Ethnic-Albanian populaon
were then disadvantaged and subject to unfair treatment
Visible minority
o Employment Equity Act – people, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-
Caucasian in race or non-white in colour
Canada 1981 – 3.1% of populaon
Canada 2011 – 19.1% of populaon
o Variables of visible minority populaon
SOCI 1001 Week 10 – Lecture notes 10 Essay.