Deck 1: Core Concepts and Foundations

Question 1

Why is it important to make a distinction between race and ethnicity?

Answer 1

It is important to make a distinction between race and ethnicity because they are two separate and distinct concepts. Race refers to a person's physical characteristics, such as skin color, hair texture, and facial features, while ethnicity refers to a person's cultural background, including their language, customs, and traditions.

Making a distinction between race and ethnicity is important because it helps to recognize and respect the diversity within different racial and ethnic groups. By understanding that race is a social construct and not a biological reality, we can challenge stereotypes and prejudices based on physical appearance. Additionally, recognizing the diversity within ethnic groups allows for a more accurate understanding of individuals and their unique cultural identities.

Furthermore, making a distinction between race and ethnicity is important for addressing issues of social justice and equality. It allows for a more nuanced understanding of how systemic racism and discrimination impact different racial and ethnic groups, and how policies and practices can be developed to address these disparities.

In summary, making a distinction between race and ethnicity is important for promoting diversity, challenging stereotypes, and addressing issues of social justice and equality. It allows for a more accurate and respectful understanding of individuals and their cultural identities.

Question 2

Given the complicated history of how racial and ethnic categories are socially constructed, do you think we should stop using these categories? Why or why not? What would be the benefits and challenges associated with ceasing to use these categories?

Answer 2

The question of whether we should stop using racial and ethnic categories is a complex and contentious one. On one hand, these categories have been used to perpetuate discrimination and inequality, and they can be limiting and reductive in how they define individuals and groups. On the other hand, these categories have also been used to address systemic inequalities and to advocate for the rights and representation of marginalized communities.

One potential benefit of ceasing to use racial and ethnic categories is that it could lead to a more inclusive and equitable society. Without these categories, individuals would not be pigeonholed or stereotyped based on their race or ethnicity, and there would be less potential for discrimination and prejudice. Additionally, it could encourage people to see each other as individuals rather than as representatives of a particular racial or ethnic group.

However, there are also challenges associated with ceasing to use these categories. For one, it could make it more difficult to address and rectify systemic inequalities. Without data on race and ethnicity, it would be harder to identify and address disparities in areas such as education, healthcare, and employment. Additionally, many individuals and communities have fought for recognition and representation based on their racial and ethnic identities, and ceasing to use these categories could undermine these efforts.

Ultimately, the decision to stop using racial and ethnic categories is not a simple one. While there are valid concerns about the limitations and potential harm of these categories, there are also important reasons for their continued use in addressing systemic inequalities and advocating for representation. Perhaps a more productive approach would be to critically examine and redefine these categories in a way that is more inclusive and reflective of the complexities of identity. This could involve acknowledging the social construction of race and ethnicity, and working towards a more nuanced and intersectional understanding of identity.

Question 3

What are the positive and negative aspects of assimilation? Does every racial and ethnic group have equal opportunities to assimilate? If not, why?

Answer 3

Assimilation can have both positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, assimilation can lead to greater social cohesion and unity within a society. It can also provide individuals with a sense of belonging and acceptance within their new culture. Additionally, assimilation can lead to increased economic and educational opportunities for individuals as they become more integrated into their new society.

However, there are also negative aspects to assimilation. It can lead to the loss of cultural identity and traditions for individuals and communities. Assimilation can also result in discrimination and prejudice as individuals may face challenges in fully integrating into their new culture. Additionally, the pressure to assimilate can create feelings of alienation and isolation for some individuals.

When it comes to the opportunities for assimilation, not every racial and ethnic group has equal opportunities. This is due to a variety of factors including systemic racism, economic disparities, and cultural barriers. For example, racial and ethnic minorities may face discrimination and prejudice that hinder their ability to fully assimilate into the dominant culture. Additionally, economic disparities can limit access to resources and opportunities for certain groups, making it more difficult for them to assimilate.

Cultural barriers can also play a role in the assimilation process. Some racial and ethnic groups may face challenges in assimilating due to language barriers, cultural differences, and lack of representation in the dominant culture. These barriers can make it more difficult for certain groups to fully integrate and assimilate into their new society.

In conclusion, while assimilation can have positive aspects such as social cohesion and increased opportunities, it also has negative aspects such as loss of cultural identity and discrimination. Not every racial and ethnic group has equal opportunities to assimilate due to systemic barriers and cultural differences. It is important to address these barriers and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society where all individuals have the opportunity to fully integrate and thrive.

Question 4

What are the parallels between how the United States and France "other" certain groups? How does the historical context of these countries impact this othering process?

Question 5

How does the history of immigration laws in the U.S. impact public perceptions' of immigrants? Imagine if immigration laws in the U.S. had focused less on racial and ethnic categories. How do you think attitudes toward immigrants now might differ?

Question 6

Race and ethnicity are both social constructs. Think of other aspects of our society that are socially constructed. What connections can you draw between these and the process of socially constructing race and ethnicity?

Question 7

Describe an example from your own life experiences of the connection between culture and ethnic identity.

Question 8

Are there parallels between the racialization of Kurdish identity in Turkey and the racialization of ethnic groups in the U.S.? Share a specific example of an ethnic group becoming racialized in the U.S.

Question 9

Think back to things that you've heard, or even said yourself, about a particular racial group. How do these exemplify the connections between moral boundaries and racial boundaries? What is problematic about these connections?

Question 10

Immigration is a hotly debated issue in public discourse. Think of one recent public debate about immigration laws. How do ideas about assimilation, race, and ethnicity play into this debate?

Question 11

Which of the following terms is defined as "something we build and maintain, something we learn and come to understand, but not something objective that exists in the world"?

A) Biological determinism
B) Social construction
C) Human ecology
D) Physical differences

Question 12

What are the two characteristics of ethnicity?

A) Identity and humanity
B) Community and culture
C) Identity and culture
D) Race and ethnicity

Question 13

Which of the following terms describes "a method for revitalizing ethnic boundaries and redefining the meaning of ethnicity in existing ethnic populations?"

A) Racialization
B) Assimilation
C) Melting pot
D) Cultural construction

Question 14

Which of the following is a true statement about recent events in Turkey?

A) Kurdish identity is experiencing a racialization process.
B) Kurdish identity is experiencing a de-racialization process.
C) Kurdish identity is disappearing.
D) Kurdish identity is experiencing an assimilation process.

Question 15

Which of the following terms is defined as "assigning racial meaning to a previously unclassified relationship, social practice, or group"?

A) Assimilation
B) Acculturation
C) Racialization
D) Socialization

Question 16

Racialization matters because it is always implicated in _________.

A) Culture
B) Power
C) Identity
D) Community

Question 17

Which of the following accurately describes current school segregation in the U.S.?

A) It has remained the same since 1986.
B) It has decreased since 1986.
C) It has increased since 1986.
D) It has disappeared since 1986.

Question 18

In both the U.S. and France, which of the following is NOT one of the criteria people use to define "people like us"?

A) Moral qualities
B) Values
C) Virtues
D) Systemic inequality

Question 19

Which group is the most ostracized in the U.S., according to Michele Lamont's research?

A) Blacks
B) Whites
C) Immigrants
D) Asians

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a true statement about the current social climate in France?

A) French blacks are not targeted as much as French Muslims.
B) Blacks living in France are more religiously diverse than are the North Africans.
C) Many black immigrants came from elite backgrounds and moved to France for education.
D) French workers primarily focus on racial categories in their distinction between "people like us" and "them."

Question 21

The salience of race and ethnicity for "white ethnics" has

A) Increased in recent decades
B) Declined in recent decades
C) Remained the same
D) Never existed

Question 22

What was the impact of World War II and a growing agriculture industry in the western United States?

A) Shutting down of the Bracero Program in 1942
B) Decrease in demand for Mexican immigrant labor
C) Renewed demand for Mexican immigrant labor
D) Decline in Mexican immigration to the U.S.

Question 23

The Mexican-origin population in the U.S. is currently a mix of

A) Immigrants
B) Second-generation individuals
C) Later-generation descendants of earlier immigrant waves
D) All of the above

Question 24

In what ways does the large immigrant presence in the U.S. reinforce intergroup boundaries that make ethnicity consequential and a less optional aspect of Mexican Americans' identity?

A) Through the indirect effects of nativism aimed at Mexican immigrants only
B) Through the ways in which immigrants contribute to the significance of race in the lives of later-generation Mexican Americans only
C) A and B
D) Neither A nor B

Question 25

Explain what is meant by the statement "race and ethnicity are social constructions." Give examples of this process and discuss why viewing them as social constructions matters.

Question 26

Discuss the ways that culture and ethnicity are connected. In your answer, define each of these concepts and explain their historical development as well as their current usage in the U.S. context.

Question 27

Describe the process of racialization. In your answer be sure to define the term, give an example of the racialization process, and explain why it is important.

Question 28

Explain the differences between how people in the United States and France differentiate between "people like us" and "them."

Question 29

Explain the process of assimilation in the context of Mexican Americans. In your answer be sure to define the term assimilation, describe the social science research on assimilation of this group, and explain how intragroup and intergroup boundaries factor into this.

Question 30

Why is it important to distinguish between social structure and culture? Think of another concept besides race and ethnicity and apply the ideas of social structure and culture. What can we learn?

Question 31

Describe the difference between race and racism. Why is this important? In what ways does our society often incorrectly use the concept of racism?

Question 32

If being colorblind is not the solution to racial inequality, why does our culture tend to celebrate colorblindness?

Question 33

How does the racialization of rural migrant workers in Chinese cities mirror racialization processes that have happened in the U.S.?

Question 34

How can Suzy Killmister's typology of group membership be applied to our understanding of race and ethnicity?

Question 35

Think of an example of the process of racial formation that you've observed in your own life experiences and explain it.

Question 36

Explain what William Julius Wilson means by the new global economy and how these economic shifts have differentially impacted certain groups. Describe an example of this process in your own life experiences.

Question 37

Describe what the job spatial mismatch is and think of an example of this in the places that you have lived.

Question 38

Share an example of a time that you've observed or participated in colorblind racism.

Question 39

Zamudio and Rios state that "any university's silence on issues of racism allows the attitudes and actions of white students . . . to take root and thrive on campus." Discuss this statement in light of recent public discourse about racism on college and university campuses across the country.

Question 40

Which term describes "the way social positions, social roles, and networks of social relationships are arranged in our institutions?"

A) Culture
B) Social structure
C) Values
D) Community

Question 41

Which of the following is a true statement about the impact of the shift in the U.S. away from low-skilled workers?

A) It has had a more negative effect on blacks than whites.
B) It has had a more negative effect on whites than blacks.
C) It has negatively affected whites and blacks equally.
D) It has positively affected whites and blacks equally.

Question 42

Race is all of the following EXCEPT

A) Unstable
B) Decentered
C) Fixed
D) Arbitrary

Question 43

Racial formation processes occur through a linkage between structure and representation. Which of the following concepts does the ideological work of making these links?

A) Critical race theory
B) Racial projects
C) Individual racism
D) Biological differences

Question 44

Which of the following terms refers to the behavior of individuals within society?

A) Social acts
B) Social processes
C) Social projects
D) Social attitudes

Question 45

The growing suburbanization of jobs in the U.S. has impacted all of the following EXCEPT

A) Labor markets today are mainly regional.
B) Long commutes in automobiles are common among blue-collar workers only.
C) Long commutes in automobiles are common among blue-collar and white-collar workers.
D) Many inner-city residents lack information about suburban job opportunities.

Question 46

What does Bonilla-Silva describe as "racism with a smile"?

A) Systemic racism
B) Individual racism
C) Racial equality
D) Colorblind racism

Question 47

Which form of racism do Zamudio and Rios say dominated the post-civil rights era in the U.S.?

A) Liberal racism
B) Traditional racism
C) Legal racism
D) Jim Crow racism

Question 48

The experiences of rural migrant workers in China (mingong) has been compared to the experiences of all of the following groups EXCEPT

A) Blacks in South Africa under apartheid
B) Blacks in the U.S. in the early twentieth century
C) Asians in the U.S. in the early twentieth century
D) European ethnic immigrants in the U.S.

Question 49

Which of the following is NOT an accurate description of changes in Chinese society in the past three decades?

A) Market-oriented reform (re)installed capitalistic relationships in multiple social sectors.
B) Social hierarchy has remained exactly the same.
C) City-centered, industrialization-oriented developmental policy extracted rural surpluses to fuel urban growth.
D) Cities became the center of economic and cultural development.

Question 50

The household registration system (hukou) that was originally set up in China in the 1950s to bind peasants to the land they farmed started being used to mark the presence of rural migrants in cities as temporary. Which of the following is NOT an example of the impact this has had on rural migrants?

A) Taking advantage of their labor
B) Denying them urban citizenship
C) Deeming them as "second-class" citizens
D) Giving them opportunities for social mobility

Question 51

The term "three withouts" was coined for rural migrant workers, beggars, and the homeless in China and creates a target group for the police. Which of the following is NOT one of the aspects of "three withouts"?

A) Without money
B) Without ID card
C) Without temporary residence permit
D) Without proof of employment

Question 52

Suzy Killmister posits a typology for understanding how group membership matters. What is the model that identifies the interest members have in group membership in universal terms?

A) The relational model
B) The nominal model
C) The participatory model
D) The community model

Question 53

Suzy Killmister posits a typology for understanding how group membership matters. Which of the models is concerned with goods that gain their meaning through being shared by the social group?

A) The relational model
B) The nominal model
C) The participatory model
D) The community model

Question 54

Explain the difference between social structure and culture, making sure to define these terms in your answer. Then, apply these concepts to analyzing how race matters to social life.

Question 55

Omi and Winant state that the case of Susie Guillory Phipps is "a parable of America's unsolved racial dilemma." Explain what they mean by this. In your answer be sure to describe the Phipps case and the importance of it.

Question 56

Discuss the ways that political and economic forces indirectly contribute to racial inequality. Provide three specific examples of this process.

Question 57

Explain what is meant by the term "colorblind racism." In your answer define this term, give an example of this kind of racism, and discuss why it is important.

Question 58

Describe the difference between traditional racism and liberal racism, supporting your explanation with examples and historical context.

Question 59

Why do you think our society promotes the idea that we live in a postracial era? Who benefits when we frame our society as one in which racism is no longer an issue?

Question 60

Why do you think it is important to delineate between institutional racism and interpersonal racism? What are the distinctions between these, and how can they be applied in our society?

Question 61

In their research, Embrick and Henricks explore the question "In what ways are epithets and stereotypes racially unequal?" What do they find? What do you think of their findings? Do you agree or disagree with the idea that epithets and stereotypes are racially unequal? Why?

Question 62

Why does the racial composition of public school teachers matter? How would you respond to the argument that we are in a postracial society and therefore should not be concerned about the racial demographics of teachers and students?

Question 63

In her research with students and teachers in Mexico, Sue finds that racial lenses among various groups of color are distinct. Why is this such an important finding? What are the implications of this finding for public discourse about race and future research on race?

Question 64

Discuss what it means to say that racial categories are "race-specific" and "time-specific." Give an example of this.

Question 65

Desmond and Emirbayer describe five fallacies about racism that occur in public debates about racism. Choose two of these fallacies and discuss examples of your observations of these fallacies playing out in conversations about racism.

Question 66

Think of an example of a racial epithet or stereotype that you have heard or thought. What life experiences shape your interaction with that epithet or stereotype?

Question 67

Clealand finds that blacks in Cuba still feel a sense of solidarity and some display a strong sense of racial consciousness. Explain why this is remarkable given the historical context that Clealand describes.

Question 68

What are some ways that public schools could more effectively adapt to the changing demographics of public school children?

Question 69

Which of the following is NOT one of the fallacies about racism?

A) Individualistic fallacy
B) Legalistic fallacy
C) Structural fallacy
D) Tokenistic fallacy

Question 70

The fact that white people accumulate more property and earn more income than members of minority populations is an example of

A) Interpersonal racism
B) Institutional racism
C) Equal opportunity
D) Individual racism

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT an assumption of the ideology of racial democracy common in Latin American countries, including Cuba?

A) Race as a social cleavage is not relevant.
B) Race is connected to life chances and socio-economic status.
C) Race is replaced with a universal national identity.
D) Racism and discrimination are foreign problems.

Question 72

Which of the following is a true statement about the demographic makeup of U.S. public schools?

A) The number of teachers of color is on the incline and the number of students of color is on the incline.
B) The number of teachers of color is on the decline and the number of students of color is on the decline.
C) The number of teachers of color is on the decline while the number of students of color is on the incline.
D) The number of teachers of color and the number of students of color have remained steady over time.

Question 73

Which of the following terms means belonging to the realm of ideas, meaning-making, and language?

A) Symbolic category
B) Ancestry
C) Phenotype
D) Natural category

Question 74

Which of the following terms is used to describe citizenship, membership in a specific politically delineated territory controlled by a government?

A) Race
B) Ethnicity
C) Culture
D) Nationality

Question 75

The assumption that the presence of people of color in influential positions is evidence of the eradication of racial obstacles is an example of which type of fallacy?

A) Individualistic
B) Tokenistic
C) Legalistic
D) Ahistorical

Question 76

The nearly worldwide acceptance of European standards of beauty is an example of all of the following EXCEPT

A) Symbolic violence
B) False aesthetic separation
C) Inherent reality
D) Long-term impact of slavery

Question 77

The term "white habitus" means

A) How whites tap anti-black resentment to foster racial solidarity
B) How blacks tap anti-white resentment to foster racial solidarity
C) How whites engage in racial justice and equality efforts
D) How whites have higher home ownership rates than blacks

Question 78

Which of the following terms means success is based on hard work and determination and is a common stereotype of whites?

A) Noble
B) Elite
C) Individualistic
D) Meritocratic

Question 79

The term "Special Period in the Time of Peace" is used to describe the time period when Cuba suffered enormous loss from the collapse in foreign trade, credit, and aid following which historical event?

A) Fall of the Soviet Union
B) World War I
C) World War II
D) Vietnam War

Question 80

The impact of defining racism as only acts of individual prejudice includes all of the following EXCEPT?

A) Takes the onus away from the government
B) Makes the problem a moral issue beyond the state's realm of control
C) Places the onus on the government to make structural changes
D) Masks the structural racism that exists