SOCI 1121 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: European Canadian, Black Canadians, Monster.Com
27 Jun 2018
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Race and Ethnicity
Race & Ethnicity
Definition of Terms
Race: a category composed of people who share biologically transmitted traits
that members of a society deem socially significant
oRefers to both minority and dominant groups as the defining characteristic
is visible physical differences (usually skin colour)
oThe concept of race has no basis in science
oAll humans share the same set of biological ancestors
oThe social consequences associated with how a culture depicts race are
very real, however. Every society determines which characteristics are
important while ignoring other characteristics that could serve as a basis
for social differentiation *good journal topic*
SKIN COLOR
In Asia, women try to bleach their skin to make it pale lighter skin
means you have higher status
In North America, we TAN and darken our skin, tan means you can
go on vacation aka you are rich
oThe change of skin colour was just adaptation to colder climates
Ethnicity:
oRace is to biology as ethnicity is to culture
oShared cultural heritage
oMembers of an ethnic category have common ancestors, language or
religion that together confer a distinctive social identity
oObjective criteria: traits such as ancestry, cultural practices, dress,
religion, and language
oSubjective criteria: the internalization of a distinctive social identity,
whereby people identify themselves or are perceived by others as
belonging to a different group
oDoesn’t have to be the one that you are born into,
oIt is about how WE identify; how do you see yourself
oDoes not have a colour associated with it
How do others see you (race) vs. how do you see yourself (ethnicity)?
Racial groups are physically identifiable, while ethnic groups are culturally
identifiable
It is possible to be of the same race but culturally different (Caucasians come
from many cultures…)
It is also possible to be of the same culture but from different races (Americans
can be black, white, Hispanic…)
Race in Canada
John Porter- The Vertical Mosaic (1965)
At this time immigration was based on the country, not the points system
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Canada is a mosaic whereas the US is a melting pot
oPorter argued that Canada is a “vertical mosaic” a society in which ethnic
groups tend to occupy different and unequal positions in the stratification
oThe first ethnic group to take control of a previously unoccupied or newly
conquered territory is the charter group of society
oThe charter group decides what other groups are to be let in and what
they will be permitted to do
oCanada has 2 charter groups- the English and the French
oThe charter groups set the terms by which other immigrants we admitted
to Canada, reserving for themselves the top positions in the occupational
hierarchy
oStill today, they make up the upper ranks of the labor, political,
bureaucratic, religious, and media elites
Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal are all multicultural,
but much of the rest of the Canada is MOSTLY white
oImmigrants who arrived after the charter groups were assigned to less
preferred positions
oThese positions were based on their similarity to the charter groups
So, Northern and Western Europeans, because they’re most
culturally like the charter groups
Next would come Southern and Eastern Europeans
o1. English/French Professional Jobs
o2. Northern and Western Europeans Professional/ White collar
o3. Southern and Eastern Europeans Blue collar workers
o4. Visible Minorities Hard Labor (railway, laundry, etc.)
o5. Aboriginals
oImmigrants and their descendants who were initially allocated a
subordinate entrance status faced limited prospects for upward social
mobility
oOnce the vertical mosaic was established, it took on a life of its own
o2 factors responsible for rigidity of vertical mosaic:
blatant prejudice and discrimination by charter groups
retention by ethnic groups of cultural practices that were
incompatible with economic success in modern, industrialized
societies
parents would purposefully not teach kids their mother
tongue so they did not have an accent
oNon-English and non-French immigrants were assigned an entrance
status that was linked in part to the social evaluation of their cultural and
racial capacities
oGroups from northern and western Europe were considered more racially
and culturally like the English and French, and were accorded a higher
entrance status than southern and eastern European immigrants
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Every society determines which characteristics are important while ignoring other characteristics that could serve as a basis for social differentiation *good journal topic* In asia, women try to bleach their skin to make it pale lighter skin means you have higher status. In north america, we tan and darken our skin, tan means you can go on vacation aka you are rich: the change of skin colour was just adaptation to colder climates. Racial groups are physically identifiable, while ethnic groups are culturally identifiable. It is possible to be of the same race but culturally different (caucasians come from many cultures ) It is also possible to be of the same culture but from different races (americans can be black, white, hispanic ) At this time immigration was based on the country, not the points system. So, northern and western europeans, because they"re most culturally like the charter groups. Next would come southern and eastern europeans: 1.
