SOCI 1001H Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Nextdoor, Blackboard, Bogardus Social Distance Scale
28 Jun 2018
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SOCI1001H: Introduction to Sociology
Tuesday, November 14th, 2017
Lecture 8
Race, Ethnicity and Stratification
1. Race, ethnicity and stratification in general
-Majority/minority, and power relations
2. Ethnicity/ethnic groups
3. Race (a socio-cultural understanding)
4. Racism
-Discrimination: over and systematic/institutional
-Prejudice: Bogardus 'social distance scale'
Ethnic Stratification
The ordering of ethnic groups into a hierarchy of inequality, where some groups are dominant and hold greater
power over other subordinate ethnic groups.
Talking about unequal power
Minority status is a reflection of less power
Power – where these groups are on the stratification system
Ethnic Group
A group who, as a result of their shared cultural traits and a high level of interaction, regard themselves and are
regarded as a cultural unit.
Four main components of an ethnic group
oUnique cultural traits – features that are specific to them (language, holidays, the way they
dress, etc.)
oA sense of community
oMembership from birth – usually born into your ethnic group
oConcept of distinctiveness – sense among the members is that there is something distinct about
them. A sense of 'us' and 'them'
The dominant group in our society (catholic Canadians) is also an ethnic group
When we talk about ethnicity, we most often link it to cultural factors
Race
-Refers to the 'social construction' of a category of difference between populations of people
-Is the result of an arbitrary value system imposed on the facts of biological variations in the human
species?
Powerful, big part of our taken for granted world
Affects how we interact with others
Who is considered to be a part of a particular race is hard to pinpoint, differs from culture to culture
Race is not simply a biological phenomenon
Strongly influences our social interactions
Tend to perceive identities on what we see as obvious, see the physical differences and believe they are
concrete pieces of evidence that there are different races
In our media and school systems – presented with stereotypes everywhere in our culture – they reinforce
these notions
Common sense taken for granted view is that biological race is part of the natural order, however,
sociology treats race as a sociocultural phenomenon that is separate from any biophysical variations that
may exist – focusing on the fact that the concept of race is the result of an arbitrary value system that is
imposed on the facts of biological variations amongst the human species
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Race, ethnicity and stratification: race, ethnicity and stratification in general. Majority/minority, and power relations: ethnicity/ethnic groups, race (a socio-cultural understanding, racism. The ordering of ethnic groups into a hierarchy of inequality, where some groups are dominant and hold greater power over other subordinate ethnic groups. Minority status is a reflection of less power. Power where these groups are on the stratification system. A group who, as a result of their shared cultural traits and a high level of interaction, regard themselves and are regarded as a cultural unit. The dominant group in our society (catholic canadians) is also an ethnic group. When we talk about ethnicity, we most often link it to cultural factors. Refers to the "social construction" of a category of difference between populations of people. Powerful, big part of our taken for granted world. Who is considered to be a part of a particular race is hard to pinpoint, differs from culture to culture.
