POL 202 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Social Movement, Normal Type, Sexual Orientation
7 Dec 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Boundaries--lines drawn symbolically between groups of people. There is usually an in-group (us) & an out-group (them) To focus on the boundaries will help understand collective identities. Race--the idea that human beings are divided into different groups, often thought of as biological. Identities based on race, ethnicity, & gender draw lines in overlapping & distinct ways categories. Ethnicity--the quality that one has by identifying with or being ascribed membership in an ethnic group. Gender--culturally constructed roles or identities one has by virtue of being ascribed the status of male or female, to be distinguished from biological sex. Unequal relationships between ethnic & racial groups can be caused & reinforced by formal & legal differences. Distinction between gender & sex is important; gender is cultural & symbolic while sex is biological. Sex--biological differences between people as linked to reproductive potential. Social construction--the process through which socially shared meanings & definitions are established & maintained.
