SOCI 120 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: White Ethnic, African Americans, Arab Americans
Document Summary
14. 1 the social meaning of race and ethnicity. Race: a socially constructed category of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of society consider important. Racial diversity appeared among ancestors because they lived in different geographic regions. Variation in physical traits are due to migration. Every population has some form of genetic mixture. Us sees 3 main races (black, white & asian) while brazil sees 6. There isomer genetic variation within each race category then there is between each. ***race is different then ethnicity*** race is constructed biologically while ethnicity is constructed from cultural traits. Ethnicity: a shared cultural heritage, people categorize themselves (or others) into ethnic categories based on common ancestor, language, or religion. The concept of ethnicity is socially constructed, important because society de nes it as such. Minority: any category of people distinguished by physical or cultural difference that a society sets apart and subordinates. Can be based on both ethnicity and race.
