SOCI 230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Asteroid Family, Social Psychology, Canadian Identity

• School: McGill University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOCI 230
• Professor: Zoua Vang

Document Summary

But ethnic membership remains important and ethnic groups are still a basis for collective life. Ethnic content vs ethnic boundaries: ethnic groups defined by their boundaries, not by their content (culture, boundaries socially constructed criteria of group membership, boundaries are social, not physical/territorial. Although these can overlap: groups not islands unto themselves, helps groups to maintain identity, boundary = vessel; content/culture = what goes into the vessel. Intergroup contact requires some common rules of engagement. Congruence of codes and values: continued group distinction in light of interethnic contact involves structuring of interaction. Not allowed interethnic marriage in social realm: boundaries of us vs them constantly being negotiated, globalization will not diminish ethnic difference, lessen the importance of ethnic identities, or stop boundary-making process. Potential sources of ethnic boundary shifts: resource competition (political, economic, social advantages) cause for expanded/contracted boundaries. Official recognition from census categories reshape self-awareness and organization. Changing political atmosphere of who gets what.