Race – a category of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society deem

socially significant.

• Ethnicity – refers to the characteristics of a group based on shared cultural identity and derived from a

common language, nationality, religion, or ancestry.

• Minority Group – a group that is singled out for unequal treatment and who regard themselves as

objects of collective discrimination.

• Membership in a minority group is an ascribed status

• Physical or cultural traits that distinguish minorities are held in low esteem by the dominant group

• Minorities are unequally treated by the dominant group

• Minorities tend to marry within their own group

• Minorities possess a strong sense of solidarity

Prejudice and Discrimination

• Prejudice – an attitude, or prejudgment, applied to an entire category of people, such as the poor,

women, and racial minorities. Prejudices can be positive or negative, but are usually negative.

society’s institutions.

• Stereotypes – prejudicial, exaggerated descriptions of some category of people.

Patterns of Racial-Ethnic Group Relations

Dominant Group Actions: Forms of Acceptance

• Amalgamation is the process by which subcultures of various groups are blended together, forming a

new culture; this is the highest level of minority group integration (e.g., Interracial marriage is common