CQA, Chapters 1 and 4

1 Define prejudice, discrimination, and institutionalized inequality and give good examples from your everyday life of each.

2. Are positive stereotypes, like all Asians are good at math, all blacks can jump, ever be negative? Why or why not?

3. Does prejudice exist in every racial grouping? Why or why not?

4. Does every racial group discriminate? Why or why not?

5. When are racial groups racist?

Prejudice: Irrational negative attitude about people based on a person's judgements of them.
Discrimination: Practices and acts of individuals and institutions that have a harmful impact on particular groups.
Institutionalized inequality: Everyday practices by institutions that overlook the harmful impact they may have on particular groups of people.
These 'positive' stereotypes still assume something about a large group of people which is often not true of all of them. If a person that fits into a particular category is not good at the thing that is associated with them, then they are often ridiculed for not being able to do that thing. It expects that all the people in that group can and makes those who can't feel left out.
Yes, prejudice exists in every racial grouping. It has become an epidemic that has covered the continent. There are relations of power that are reflected by racial groups and skin colour. We focus on them vs us. We participate by watching the many conflicts between different groups in the media.
I think that we have all began to see the differences in our appearances. Even though many people and groups mean well, they are also ethnocentric and looking out for their own group. We all realize that the privilege of racial groups is unequal. With unequal power, there is little that groups can do to avoid discrimination without being discriminated against themselves.
Racial groups can also be racist about other racial groups and even about their own group. I think I would consider everyone to be a part of a racial group. Even white people, although they are privileged, still fit in to a group that classifies them.

Cornell and Hartmann, chapter 8: “Making sense and making selves in a changing world”

1. Compare and contrast your racial and ethnic identity with the racial and ethnic identity in one of the countries you have visited.

2. How are racial and ethnicity identities shaped by modernity, postmodernism, and multiplicity?

3. Has your racial and ethnic identity shifted as a result of this voyage of discovery?

I consider myself a Canadian. I am from a European background. I speak English. My family is Christian. I grew up celebrating holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Canada Day, etc. A few years ago I visited Guatemala to volunteer with an organization called Students International. I volunteered with a social worker and we went around a small impoverished village conversing with families in the neighbourhood. The largest barrier was the language. I only knew a few words in Spanish, which was the language spoken. The social worker I was with was able to translate for me. The food was also very different. Many of the people that I went with became mildly sick because of the change in food. All of the people that I encountered were very welcoming and accepted  me into their homes. They shared about their lives, but there were certain things that they didn't feel comfortable taking about because of their culture. I was also difficult for children to continue to get a high school education. Women in that culture were often streamlined into a few particular professions.
We see racial and ethnic identities in different ways because of modernity, postmodernity and multiplicity. Over my education I have developed a postmodern way of thinking. This leads me to believe that their are many factors in society that shape us and tell us who we are according to others. Who we are according to others can be different from how we see ourselves. There are many factors that intersect to give us our identity. We have a master identity, this is what people first see us as. For some this is race or ethnicity.
As I've realized this it has made me think about whiteness and the privileges that I have without even knowing it. The fact that I am white is overlooked as my master identity but it still shapes much of my life. I see myself as a student and as a wife, maybe other people see this as well. I don't think that others immediately notice that I'm white, as they may have if I had a different skin colour. The fact that I don't think about my 'race' very often is a sign of privilege.

The Social Construction of Whiteness: Racism by intent, racism by consequence - Teresa J. Guess

1 Is white a racial category? Is studying whiteness racist?

2. Is there such a thing as white American culture, or is there only American culture? What difference does it make?

3. What is colorblindness and how does it affect white Americans? Is there another, perhaps better, way to view color?

White often refers to those of European decent. Being white affects a person more than just another racial category. Being white awards unearned privlege and is a very interesting topic to study. It is very important for those who are considered white to know of this privilege that they get that others are not able to recieve. Studying whiteness is not racist, it is essential to realizing how society works and why some face different circumstances than others. It is turning racism around and looking at privilege that is there for no reason.
White American culture is considered the mainstream American culture. When people look at American culture, they see black culture, hispanic culture etc, but they assume that white culture includes everyone, although it often excludes. Everything that is white is invisible because it is not labelled racially, it is considered mainstream.
Colourblindness is a form of antiracism that actually still promotes racism. By not seeing different colours, we can try to eliminate stereotyping and prejudice, but then we ignore culture that is important to different people. We defalt to seeing everyone as white and white cultured rather than seeing our society as diverse and involving many cultures.

CQA, Chapters 1 and 4

1 If race and ethnicity is understood to be socially constructed, what difference would it make in our social life?

2. Explain the difference between assigning race and ethnicity and asserting it. How is that difference observable in our everyday lives?

3. What is the process of achieving a racial and ethnic identity, and what are the problems associated with that process?

If race and ethnicity were understood in mainstream society to be socially constructed, then the world would be a lot different. We could not justify racism and discrimination on the basis of biological race. Our justifications would be debunked. We would have nothing to base our injustices on.
When we assign race and ethnicity to others, we are judging them. When we assert race and ethnicity, we are assuming that there are biological ties and evidence to back up our judgements. Asserting race and ethnicity can be very dangerous because it gives a person (in their own mind) justification to treat others in a certain way. This could lead to racism and discrimination.
In order to achieve a racial and ethnic identity, a person must be analyzed by others. According to their appearance and cultural practices such as language they are categorized and given an identity by others. This stereotype image that they are given does likely not suit them and differs greatly from who they are. The process allows others to think that they are the expert and that they know that person just by judging them.

Who are Dalits? & What is Untouchability?

1. What are the differences between immigration and emigration? What are the everyday life experiences of those who migrate?

2. Think about your ethnic heritage. What stories have you heard about when your ancestors immigrated to the U.S? How are they different or the same than the stories of other migrants?

3. Who are the Dalits? Why have they been discriminated against? What kinds of social movements have begun to redress their political and social grievances?

Immigration is moving into a new country; emigration is permantly leaving one's own country. Migration is generally used to decribe movement from place to place. Migration affects a person entire life. They leave their home, they people and community they know, often their culture, in order to start a new life in a new place. They may face the challenges of finding a new job, building new relationships, learning a new language, and adjusting to a new culture.
My Grandpa used to tell stories about how his family immigrated from Germany/Poland while he was a child. The war had caused a lot of problems for his family as the border kept changing and their home was sometimes in Germany and sometimes in Poland. His family fled their home to come to Canada. My Grandpa and his family only spoke German and had a difficult time adjusting to life in Canada. My Grandpa was able to learn a bit of English. Because he was the only one in his family who knew English, he had to work and provide for his family. He worked long hours and went to night school. Eventually he was able to become a contractor. The difficulty that his family had with a different language is also a problem that faces many new immigrants today. Many people are still fleeing war in their own countries like my Grandpa was.
Dalit means the oppressed. They often face discrimination that keeps them from their rights and freedoms. In India, they represent about 17% of the population. For a long time up until recently, they were considered untouchable, which meant that they could not associate with other "clean" people. They have been discriminated against because of this idea of untouchable which they became defined as because of their undesirable or dirty occupations. The abolishment of "untouchability" helped dalits, but they continue to be oppressed and to be streamlined into undesirable occupations.

Cornell and Hartmann, chapter 2: “Mapping the terrain: definitions”

1. Is race socially constructed? Before you read the assigned article, did you believe that biological races are real? Did the article change your opinion about the biological basis of race?

2. If race is socially constructed, why do most people in the US believe it is biological and act accordingly?

3. Is there a race gene? Has science proven the biological components of race?

 

I presented on this chapter earlier in the semester, so I had already read the chapter. Even before I read this article, I believed that race was socially constructed. My past experience in sociology as a sociology major has provided me with much information about race and social constructs. Many years ago I had believed that biological races are real. I have since come to the realization that we all come from the same thing. We are all humans. Yes, we do come from different parts of the world and have different hair and skin colours, but these physical features do not define us. Race is an idea about people who look different. It is an idea that was constructed but that appears to be real in society. We use this to create heirarchies and discriminate.

Many people are convinced by this construct that it is real. There are even some studies that claim that one race is smarter or faster than another. Although these studies are built on the idea that race is real, it is more likely that we will find many people who are incredibly different from one another in one racial group, but who can identify with people in other racial groups more closely. Although race is not real, racism is a byproduct of the beleif of race, and it's effects are very real. People are discriminated against and beat because of their race. This is a problem that results from the belief of biological races.

 

Cornell and Hartmann, chapter 1: “The puzzles of ethnicity and race”

- How are qualitative and quantitative research different? What different purposes do they serve and what is the value and limitations of each?

- Why are we using qualitative research to study race and ethnicity?

- Why is informed consent important?

Qualitative research is focuses on data that can't be collected and analyzed according to numbers. Qualitative research is often quite in depth, but may use less participants than quantitative research. Quantitative research often uses a wide group of participants and uses numbers to represent different aspects and to analyze the research.
In order to study race and ethnicity, I am using qualitative research. Qualitative research is best for this project because I am looking at my participants views of Africa and where they may have gotten those views from. This way I can look at what my participants really think is important and what kinds of things that they think about Africa without limiting their options. Giving them answers to pick from could also  reinforce those views or create new views for my participants. I used a combination of multiple choice and fill in answers on the questionaire.
Informed consent is important so that the participants will know what they are getting into by completing the questionaire or participating in the research. It will let them know of the risks and will inform them what will be done with the data that is recieved from them. It should be a contract of confidentiality which must be upheld by the researcher. The informed consent is also for legal procedure so that the research can use the information from the participant. Overall, the informed consent is important because it lets the participant know what to expect as they participate.

Lecture Notes

- How does sociology understand race and ethnicity?
- How does a sociological imagination help in understanding race and ethnicity?

Race is a social construct. It is a term that was created by society in order to categorize people according to their appearance. Race is only percieved. There is no real characteristics that define race. Although race is not a concrete thing in society, the effects of racism are real. Ethnicity refers more to the group of people that one relates to and their culture.

Race and Ethnicity are terms that cover a whole range of people and problems across the world. The problem of racism is not a personal issue. There is a problem with society as it pertains to specific individuals depending on their skin colour or appearance.