Terms and Concepts

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Terms and Concepts

• Lecture 4

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Race And Ethnicity

• Racial Group
• a social group that persons inside or outside the
  group have decided is important to single out as
  inferior or superior, typically on the basis of
  real or alleged physical characteristics
  subjectively selected.
• Key components physical and inferior/superior

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Race And Ethnicity

• Ideological Racism
• an ideology that considers a groups unchangeable
  physical characteristics to be linked in a
  direct, causal way to psychological or
  intellectual characteristics and that, on this
  basis, distinguishes between superior and
  inferior racial groups.
• Related to Scientific Racism

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Race And Ethnicity

• Racial Definitions as Temporary Constructions
• Shaped by
• social struggles
• political struggles
• Sneeches

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Race And Ethnicity

• Ethnic Group
• Broad Definition- a group distinguished by race,
  religion, or national origin, including language.
• Narrow Definition- a group socially distinguished
  or set apart, by others or by itself, primarily
  on the basis of cultural or national-origin
  characteristics.
• Key components cultural characteristics
• Reasons for two definitions?

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Race And Ethnicity
Encourages similarities of non-white and white
group experiences
Broad Definition (includes race in def)
Ethnic Group
Narrow Definition (focus on culture)
Allows for distinction of subordinated racial
groups as distinctively different from white
ethnic groups
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Race And Ethnicity

• Socially constructed Racial Groups can contain
  Ethnic Sub Groups and vice versa

Importantly, individuals can often choose to
identify or hide ethnic identity, but not race
identity.
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Race And Ethnicity

• Ancestry (real or mythical) is important to the
  concept of an Ethnic Group
• Both as part of the outsiders definition of the
  group and as part of the insiders
  self-definition
• Max Weber- Ethnic Groups are human groups that
  entertain a subjective belief in their common
  descent
• Consciousness of shared experiences
• Shared cultural patterns

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Race And Ethnicity

• Majority Group (dominant group)
• Vs
• Minority Group (subordinate group)
• Minority Group- group of people who because of
  physical or cultural (thus racial or ethnic
  group) characteristics are singled out for
  differential unequal treatment in the society
  in which they live, and who therefore regard
  themselves as objects of collective discrimination

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Economic and Political Background
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Economic and Political Background

• Major Factors of Concern of the nearly 4
  centuries we will focus on
• 1. The changing capitalistic economy
• 2. Changing Political and Governmental Frameworks
• 3. Changing Social Dynamics

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Commercial Capitalism and Slave Society 1607-1865

• Tied closely to expansionist policies of English
  political and economic elites
• Initially a combination of Royal enterprises of
  the king and independent entrepreneurs
• By the 18th century included the general pattern
  of merchants in the north and slave plantation
  owners in the south
• Was established with the objective of securing
  raw materials and markets for English goods.
• Alleviated the overflow of workers in Europe being

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Commercial Capitalism and Slave Society 1607-1865

• Two modes of production dominated
• household (small farm)
• capitalist (slave plantation and merchants)

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Industrial Capitalism 1865-1920

• Civil War followed by westward expansion and an
  industrial boom.
• Transformed from an economy dominated by
  competitive capitalists (small medium-sized
  businesses) to an economy dominated by large
  enterprises
• Agriculture ( ) and Manufacturing ( )
• Post Reconstruction South, freed slaves as low
  wage laborers, tenant farmers, sharecroppers

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Industrial Capitalism 1865-1920

• Government influence on Racial and Ethnic
  relations
• US military power pressed for US interests abroad
  I.e. Spanish American War
• Homestead Act (1960s)
• Euro-American, 160-320 acres
• Black Americans ineligible, not yet citizens when
  act passed
• Mexicans (Mex-Amer war 1840s) subordinated and
  absorbed

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Advanced Industrial (multinational) Capitalism
1920s-1990s

• World War I --gt the Roaring 20s
• Large, International Corporations dominate US
  Economy(steel, auto etc) Robber Barrons
• The Great Depression (1930s)
• Overproduction, layoffs, whites displaced blacks,
  New Deal unequal aid
• World War II (US Domination)
• Suburban Flight
• Rustbelt to Sunbelt, and beyond