The relationship between African Americans and white people in the United States has been one of contention and struggle for equality that follows a relatively unique timeline. This subordinate-superordinate relationship based on race which manifests itself in all sectors of life according to sociologists stems from the way in which different ethnic groups were introduced to the society in addition to the ways in which the groups interact. These theories are used to make sense of the racial or ethnic relationships over an amount of time. We have been briefly introduced to race relation cycle theory in the previous unit’s readings focusing on racism. With this reading, Benjamin Ringer and Eleanor Lawless dig deeper into the sociologists thinking in terms of race relationships.…
thoughts on racial identity, the role of race in society, Obama, and America’s rapidly growing,…
In the article “Racial Formations,” Omi and Winant described race as being constructed in a social, political, and historical context, which is constantly changed by evolving socio-political climates. Historically, conceptualizations of race began to differentiate between White and non-White, which was often rigidly reinforced. Race became a way to stereotype and categorize people in order quick assumptions, which continues to be deeply ingrained in U.S. culture. Omi and Winant advocate that rather than aiming to eliminate the concept of race, we should aim to understand race as an unstable and complex concept that is continually transformed.…
For many centuries, race has been a huge topic that people discuss about, whether talking about education, occupation, politics, or human rights. America was settled with Native-Americans, but after Columbus discovered American land, there were many Europeans travelling there. However, it did not end there, many years later upper-class settlers started bringing in slaves from African-American descent. That is when interracial relationships started to happen. Brodkin, Buck, Omi and Winant in their essays illustrate racial formations, interracial relationships, and how white people can be privileged in recent days.…
1) Use the readings from the class on the Social Construction of Race/Ethnicity to answer the following questions: A) Explain the differences between religious, biological, and social views about race. How did they emerge, and what are the implications of each according to Omi and Winant? B) Explain Omi and Winant’s Racial Formation theory. How does it work in the micro (individual interactions) level? How does it work at the macro (societal level)?…
Omi and Winant describe racial projects as representations or explanations of racial dynamics in an effort to reorganize and redistribute resources along particular racial lines. Racial projects encompass everything from depictions in television and music, to legislative processes or even newspaper headlines. They are a result of “New Racism”. A popular example is the war on drugs. On the outside, it seems racially neutral. It is a campaign seeking to end drug abuse. However, the ways in which policies are enacted single out men of color. Police profiling and everyday prejudice leads many African Americans to be singled out and carted off to jail. When looking at statistics, it seems as if this so called war on drugs was just an effort to incarcerate…
In “What We Mean When We Say ‘Race Is a Social Construct’,” Ta-Nehisi Coates alleges that the concept of race is a fake ideal used to drive people apart. To begin, Coates asks the question, “What is race?” , then goes on to state that race has no coherent definition. He poses the counterpoint that race gives identity; however, Coates rebuts this point by stating “Our notion of what constitutes ‘white’ and what constitutes ‘black’ is a product of social context.” (Coates, p. 5).…
Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Racial and Ethnic Groups (sixth ed.). Retrieved from University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.…
|Pluralism |A condition in which numerous distinct ethnic, religious, or cultural groups are present and |…
Masci, David. “Post Ethnic America?” CQ Researcher 17 Oct. 2003: 887-88. CQ Researcher. Web. 10 March 2011.…
Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Racial and Ethnic Groups (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.…
In this reading, Mary C. Waters explains, six different aspects, ethnic identity for whites in the 1990s, the ethnic miracle, symbolic ethnicities for white Americans, race relations and symbolic ethnicity, relations on college campuses, and institutional responses. Ethnic identity for whites in the 1990s states, ethnicity is a social phenomenon, not a biological one. Whites are able to claim an ethnicity if they chose so, or they could just be white. Whites are the majority groups, who have the most power. The ethnic miracle explains, by the 1990s most European-origin ethnic groups in the United States were composed of a very small number of immigrants, and a very large amount of people whose link to their ethnic origins in Europe was increasingly…
Schaefer, R.T. (2006). Racial and ethnic groups (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall…
Contrary to popular belief, Asian superiority in America is nothing but a myth. The relationship between Asians and other races in America is weakened by the idea that Asians have the ability to rule the nation. In his essay, “The Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority,” Ronald Takaki effectively argues that Asian Superiority in the United States is nowhere near the truth through the use of statistical evidence to provide reasons why Asian Americans do not actually have advantages compared to other minorities. Takaki establishes logos and pathos effectively to prove his point to his intended audience.…
References: Steinberg, Stephen. The Ethnic Myth: Race, Ethnicity and Class in America. January 16, 2001. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.…