Race and Ethnicity

1. Race and Ethnicity Definition and Application

2. The Social Roots of Racism Physical markers are used to distinguish groups and create inequality based on race. Different social conditions among superordinates and subordinates create behavioral differences between them.

3. The Social Roots of Racism • Perceptions of behavioral differences get embedded in culture as racial stereotypes. • Racial stereotypes reinforce the use of physical markers to distinguish groups.

4. Key Questions • What constitutes an ethnic group? •  How do we define, identify and locate an ethnic group? •  What is the significance of ethnicity in Canadian society?

5. Ethnic groups • Ethnic groups can be identified by their cultural distinctiveness. • There is general agreement that culture is the principally identifiable characteristic

6. Culture Defined • Systems of ideals and ideas, • Ways of thinking • Plans or recipes for behaving in any group of people, • Passed down from generation to generation."

7. Minority Status • Ethnic groups are often referred to as cultural minorities.

8. Minority situation • Integration and Suicide • Durkhiem, for example, noted that when a group is in a minority situation the elements of group life become more pronounced. =Less chance of Suicide

9. Cultural Bonds • Some common bonds that unify ethnic groups include: • Language, religion, folkways and mores, styles of dress, foods,occupational specialization, social values, aesthetic standards

10. Theodorson and Theodorson1975 • Modern Dictionary of Sociology define ethnicity as a group with- • 1. A common culture • 2. A sense of identity which exists as a sub- group in a larger society. •   3. Differential of cultural characteristics from members of the host society.

11. What is an ethnic identity • A.     An ethnic group shares a commonancestry • B.      An ethnic group shares common norms, values and traditions (insiders) • C.      An ethnic group is considered to be a group by those who do not share the first two elements (outsiders)

12. Heterogenious/Homogenious Contexts • Ethnicitythen becomes more significant in North America than Europe. Why?    • Because in Europe, ethnicity is usually not a sub-group of the larger society.

13. Nation and ethnicity are less differentiated in a culturally homogeneous societies. • Ie. French in France, Italian in Italy 

14. Prejudice Prejudice refers to an unsubstantiated negative prejudgement of individuals or groups because of their ETHNICITY, race or RELIGION

15. Discrimination • Discriminationis the exclusion of individuals or groups from full participation in society because of their ethnicity, race or religion • Prejudice(an attitude) and discrimination (behaviour) are usually linked, but they are distinct phenomena.

16. Forms of Discrimination in Canada Overt, Structural and Covert

17. 1. Blatant or Overt- • To arbitrarily deny opportunities to members of ethnic groups whose qualifications are equal to members of the dominant group.

18. 2. Structural Discrimination • The impersonal `perhaps’ unintentional operation of the Canadian social system. • Unequal reward and opportunities

19. 3. Legislative discrimination • -Phased out after WW2 I.e Internment camps • Yet until mid 1960's, some of Canadian immigration laws were racist. • E.g. policies regarding aboriginal peoples have historically been paternalistic.

20. 4. Cultural Discrimination- • Operates through the expectations of the dominant culture and its attempts at conformity in public life.

21. Cultural Discrimination • Those groups whose attributes (symbols, artificates, cultural practices) that deviate most markedly from the dominant group are the most severely discriminated against

22. Cultural Discrimination • Ethnic groups that approximate the dominant ethno-cultural model in appearance, religion, lifestyle symbols etc. the more open and accessible are the institutions of society.

23. Myths About Immigrants • Taking over the country • Uneducated • Stealing Jobs • Uncultured • Not to be trusted 

24. South/Asians Toronto • -Immigrants from South/Asia are taking over the country. • -people from Asia -East Indian, Pakistan, China, Korea ect. are overrunning the country pretty soon there will be no white folk. • Xenophobia

25. Xenophobia • Xenophobia is a fear or contempt of that which is foreign or unknown, especially of strangers or foreign people. • The term is typically used to describe a fear or dislike of foreigners or of people significantly different from oneself.

26. Myths • -Immigrants are uneducated- NO- immigrants are more likely than non-immigrants to have a university education.

27. Daniel Bell 1975 • Canada is one and at same time: • Uni-cultural • Bi-cultural • Multicultural

28. Canada • Multidimensional in terms of ethnic patterns: • Uni-cultural-British, Anglo Saxon Dominance 1763 • Bicultural-French and English Charter groups 1963-1968 • Multicultural-since 1972 Official..

29. Canadian Uniculturalism • Canada was never a melting pot: Anglo Dominance combined with racism and nativism. • Postwar immigration, however, went far to change this.

30. BR and Fr. Origins • Of this population of about 22.4 million, nearly one-half (46%), or about 10.3 million, reported only British Isles, French and/or Canadian ethnic or cultural origins.

31. British ancestry. • The largest proportion - 21% of the total population aged 15 years and older - was comprised of those of only British ancestry.

32. Other Europeans. • The next largest proportion of Canada's population was comprised of the descendants of other Europeans. • About 4.3 million people, or about one-fifth (19%) of those aged 15 and over, had only European ancestry (other than British and French origins).

33. Non-European descent • People of non-European descent accounted for 13% of the population aged 15 and over, or 2.9 million.

34. Mixed ethnic heritages • In addition, 22% of the population aged 15 and over, or 4.9 million, reported other mixed ethnic heritages, or did not know their ethnic ancestry.

35. Canada Ethnic History in Brief • Contact 1608-1763 • 350,000 Natives vs. 5000 Europeans • Wilderness, Fur Trade • Champlain, ie. Penetang • Some trade, much claiming

36. Pre-ConfederationTwo Solitudes • Plains of Abraham • La Survivance • Upper Canada 55% English and 35% French. Lower Canada 85% French 15% English.

37. Post-Confederation/Western Settlement • 1867-1939 • Anglo-centric Orange Order predominant. • Influx of Russian, Ukranian, Chinese • Chinese, Italian, Jewish in urban centers • prejudice and discrimination

38. Post World War Two • Restrictions lifted • More Italian, Jewish, Greek, Northern European • Italians 731,000, Germans 1.3 million, 385,000 Scand. • Diversity in Population/Conformity and Assimilation gov’t policy

39. Establishing the Mosaic • 1960’s • Introduction of the Points System • Immigration less Anglo-centric • Bi & BiCommission, Multicultural Official in 1972.

40. Refocusing current • Refocusing the Cultural Mosaic • Three levels of immigration -points, family reunification, refugee status • Increasing numbers of visible minorities South Asia, Caribbean and Asia • 250,000 immigrants per year

41. Immigration • Immigration is an important way of attempting to understand majority/minority relations in a country.

42. Anthony Richmond • Enhanced by the increasing amount of immigrants since WW2 (Richmond,1982) • Canada has been described as a salad bowl • Immigrants are working hard to carve out their place...

43. Acculturation not assimilation • .To adjust to Canada's two dominate groups. French and English. • These groups serve as reference groups to many immigrant groups.

44. Assimilation and Acculturation • The two ends of the continuum of what happens to ethnic groups are:   • . Assimilation 2. Acculturation 3 ... Maintenance of group identity and cohesion within the larger society. (ethnic ghetto)

45. Vertical Mosaic • John Porter (1965) -Uniculturalism • A controversial thesis-Canada’s emphasis on cultural pluralism hinders minority groups • Creates `ethnic ghetto cultures’ restricting mobility… • A functionalist thesis…

46. Revisionists • Include Peter S. Li • Gordon Darroch • Ethnic communities carve out their own occupational avenues for success. • Canada is primarily a class society-Marxist thesis.

47. Subtle discrimination • Examples of this subtle discrimination included being passed over for promotion, assigned unpleasant tasks, being stereotyped, and being excluded from the "inner circle" of the workplace

48. Evelyn Kallen (1974) • KALLEN, Evelyn and KELNER, Merrijoy. 1983. Ethnicity, Opportunity ..... “Toronto: Polite Racism and Marshmallow Politics,” Currents: Readings in Race ...

49. Polite Racism • Visible minority men and women still face "polite" racism when job hunting.

50. Covert Racism • Racism is more covert today- US and Canada. • Focus group participants said that racism is a "hidden thing" in the workplace, and many were convinced that they had been victims of subtle forms of racism.