How do sociologists define minority

It is now accepted in many multicultural societies around the world that people should have the freedom to choose their own religion, including not having any religion atheism or agnosticism , and including the right to convert from one religion to another.

However in some countries this freedom is still either formally restricted or subject to cultural bias from the majority population. The disability rights movement has contributed to an understanding of people with disabilities as a minority or a coalition of minorities who are disadvantaged by society, not just as people who are disadvantaged by their impairments.

Advocates of disability rights emphasize differences in physical or psychological functioning, rather than inferiority: for example, some people with autism argue for acceptance of neuro-diversity, in the same way in which opponents of racism argue for acceptance of ethnic diversity. The deaf community is often regarded as a linguistic and cultural minority rather than a group with disabilities, and some deaf people do not see themselves as having a disability at all.

Rather, they are disadvantaged by technologies and social institutions that are designed to cater to the dominant, hearing-unimpaired group.

Affirmative action is a controversial issue, which refers to policies that take factors including race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group. This is usually justified as countering the effects of a history of discrimination.

Affirmative action can, for example, take the form of a government program to provide immigrant or minority groups who primarily speak a marginalized language with extra teaching in the majority language, so that they are better able to compete for places at university or for jobs. Minority groups are defined by their lack of power. Caver, Helen Bush, and Mary T.

CNN Library. February 22, Dollard, J. Frustration and Aggression. Graves, Joseph. Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. Racial Formation in the United States: from the s to the s 2nd ed. New York, NY: Routledge.

Wagley, Charles, and Marvin Harris. New York: Columbia University Press. Wirth, Louis. Linton: In Hacker, Helen Mayer. Women as a Minority Group. World Health Organization. Skip to main content. Race and Ethnicity.

The first Asian immigrants to come to Canada in the midth century were Chinese. These immigrants were primarily men whose intention was to work for several years in order to earn incomes to support their families in China. Their first destination was the Fraser Canyon for the gold rush in Many of these Chinese came north from California.

The second major wave of Chinese immigration arrived for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway when contractors recruited thousands of workers from Taiwan and Guandong Province in China. Chinese labourers were paid approximately a third of what white, black, and aboriginal workers were paid. Even so, they were used to complete the most difficult sections of track through the rugged Fraser Valley Canyon, living under squalid and dangerous conditions; Chinese workers died during the construction of the rail line.

Chinese men also engaged in other manual labour like mining, laundry, cooking, canning, and agricultural work. The work was gruelling and underpaid, but like many immigrants, they persevered Chan Japanese immigration began in with the arrival of the first Japanese settler, Manzo Nagano. The Issei , or first wave of Japanese immigrants were, like the first Chinese immigrants, mostly men.

They came from fishing and farming backgrounds in the southern Japanese islands of Kyushu and Honshu. Like the Chinese settlers, they were paid much less than workers from European backgrounds and were usually hired for menial labour or heavy agricultural work. With restrictions imposed on the immigration of Japanese men after , most of the early Japanese immigrants after were women, either the wives of Japanese immigrants or women betrothed to be married Sunahara and Oikawa South Asians refer to a diverse group of people with different ethnic backgrounds in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

The first group of Sikhs arrived in Vancouver in from Hong Kong, attracted by stories of high wages from British Indian troops who had travelled through Canada the previous year Buchignani They were encouraged by Hong Kong—based agents of the Canadian Pacific Railway who had seen travel on their passenger liners plummet with the head tax imposed on Chinese immigration.

Most of the first Sikhs in Canada arrived via Hong Kong or Malaysia, where the British had typically employed them as policemen, watchmen, and caretakers. They were originally from rural areas of Punjab and mortgaged their properties for passage with the prospect of sending money home.

Many arrived in Canada unable to speak English but eventually found employment in mills, factories, the railway, and Okanagan orchards Johnston Many of them settled in Abbotsford Buchignani Asian Canadians were subject to particularly harsh racism in British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries. The right of Asians to vote, own property, and seek employment, as well as their ability to immigrate and integrate into Canadian society were therefore severely restricted.

The right to vote federally and provincially was denied to Chinese Canadians in , Japanese Canadians in , and South Asians in This disenfranchisement also prevented these groups from having access to political office, jury duty, the professions like law, civil service jobs, underground mining jobs, and labour on public works because these all required being on provincial voters lists.

Voting rights were only returned to Chinese and South Asian Canadians in and to Japanese Canadians in , whereas immigration restrictions were not removed until the s. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the immigration of Chinese workers to Canada, especially during the final stages of the building of Canadian Pacific Railway, led to increasing numbers of single Chinese men in the country who sought to bring their wives to join them. As the Chinese workers were typically paid much lower wages than workers of European origin, various Asian exclusion leagues developed to press for further restrictions on Asian immigration.

This led to riots in Vancouver in and eventually in to a complete ban on Chinese immigration. For similar reasons, the immigration of Japanese men was restricted to a year after , and further reduced to individuals a year after Their success in the fishing industry led the federal fisheries department to arbitrarily reduce Japanese trolling licences by one-third in When the Japanese, many veterans of the Russo-Japanese war of , successfully defended their community against white supremacist mobs in the anti-Asian riots in Vancouver, they were accused of smuggling a secret army into Canada Sunahara and Oikawa An even uglier action was the establishment of Japanese internment camps of World War II, discussed earlier as an illustration of expulsion.

Of the three groups, South Asians were the most recent to arrive. However, by the large number of arrivals led to the imposition of immigration restrictions. As the South Asians were British subjects, the restrictions took a more devious form, however.

The government then put pressure on steamship companies not to sell direct through-passage tickets from Indian ports. The famous incident of the freighter Komagata Maru in was a direct consequence of this restriction. The ship, carrying South Asian immigrants, many of whom had boarded in Hong Kong, was prevented from docking and kept in isolation in Vancouver harbour for two months until forced to return to Asia.

Only 20 of the passengers were allowed to stay in Canada Johnston Asian Canadians certainly have been subject to their share of racial prejudice, despite their seemingly positive stereotype today as the model minority. The model minority stereotype is applied to a minority group that is seen as reaching significant educational, professional, and socioeconomic levels without challenging the existing establishment.

In the census, those identifying as Japanese earned percent of the income of white Canadians, Chinese This stereotype is typically applied to Asian groups in Canada, and it can result in unrealistic expectations, putting a stigma on members of this group that do not meet the expectations. Stereotyping all Asians as smart, industrious, and capable can also lead to a lack of much-needed government assistance and to educational and professional discrimination.

Racial, Ethnic, and Minority Groups Race is fundamentally a social construct. Ethnicity is a term that describes shared culture and national origin. Minority groups are defined by their lack of power. Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination Stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about groups of people. Prejudice refers to thoughts and feelings, while discrimination refers to actions.

Racism refers to the belief that one race is inherently superior or inferior to other races. Theories of Race and Ethnicity Functionalist views of race study the role dominant and subordinate groups play to create a stable social structure. Critical sociologists examine power disparities and struggles between various racial and ethnic groups.

Interactionists see race and ethnicity as important sources of individual identity and social symbolism. The concept of culture of prejudice recognizes that all people are subject to stereotypes that are ingrained in their culture. Intergroup Relations and the Management of Diversity Intergroup relations range from a tolerant approach of pluralism to intolerance as severe as genocide. In pluralism, groups retain their own identity.

In assimilation, groups conform to the identity of the dominant group. In assimilation, groups combine to form a new group identity.

Race and Ethnicity in Canada The history of the Canadian people contains an infinite variety of experiences that sociologist understand follow patterns. From the aboriginal people who first inhabited these lands to the waves of immigrants over the past years, migration is an experience with many shared characteristics. Most groups have experienced various degrees of prejudice and discrimination as they have gone through the process of assimilation. Racial, Ethnic, and Minority Groups 1.

Which of the following is an example of a numerical majority being treated as a subordinate group? Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination 6. Theories of Race and Ethnicity 9. Intergroup Relations and the Management of Diversity Which intergroup relation displays the least tolerance? Race and Ethnicity in Canada What makes aboriginal Canadians unique as a subordinate group in Canada?

Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination How far should multicultural rights extend? Theories of Race and Ethnicity Do you know someone who practises white privilege? Do you practise it? Intergroup Relations and the Management of Diversity So you think you know your own assumptions?

Race and Ethnicity in Canada Are people interested in reclaiming their ethnic identities? Introduction CBC. March 8. Statistics Canada. Frustration and Aggression. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. April March 9. Thompson, Debra. Wagley, Charles and Marvin Harris. New York: Columbia University Press. Wirth, Louis. Linton: In Hacker, Helen Mayer. Women as a Minority Group. World Health Organization. Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination Backhouse, Constance. Block, Sheila and Galabuzi, Grace-Edward.

The Rules of the Sociological Method. Translated by W. New York: Free Press. Hudson, David L. McIntosh, Peggy. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Wingrove, Josh and Kim Mackrael. June Distinguishing Features of Black Feminist Thought. London: Routledge. The Location of Culture. Conference Board of Canada. Day, Richard. Multiculturalism and the History of Canadian Diversity. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Hall, Stuart. Identity: Community, Culture, Difference.

Lewy, Guenter. Mosher, Clayton. Population Studies Center. Ujimoto, K. Singh Bolaria ed. Social Issues and Contradictions in Canadiuan Society.

Scarborough, On. Walks, R. Alan and Larry Bourne. Racial segregation, ethnic enclaves and poverty concentration in Canadian urban areas. Race and Ethnicity in Canada Abdulle, Mohamoud. Somali immigrants in Ottawa: The causes of their migration and the challenges of resettling in Canada. Unpublished Master Thesis, University of Ottawa. American Indian Cultural Support.

Black History Canada. Buchignani, Norman. Toronto: Historica Foundation. Chan, Anthony. Johnston, Hugh. Vancouver: UBC. Leslie, John. Library and Archives Canada. Marger, Martin. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Marquis, G. Massey, Douglas S. Mathias, Chief Joe and Gary Yabsley. National Congress of American Indians. Patterson, Palmer E. Toronto: Collier-Macmillan. Ruttan, Stephen. State of Arizona.

Sunahara, Ann and Mona Oikawa. Titley, Brian. Graham: Indian Agent Extraordinaire. Walker, James. Ottawa: Minister of State for Multiculturalism. Weaver, Sally. Wortley, Scot and Julian Tanner. Figure Skip to content Main Body. Learning Objectives Racial, Ethnic, and Minority Groups Understand the difference between race and ethnicity Define a majority group dominant group Define a minority group subordinate group Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination Explain the difference between stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and racism Identify different types of discrimination Theories of Race and Ethnicity Describe how major sociological perspectives view race and ethnicity Identify examples of culture of prejudice Race and Ethnicity in Canada Compare and contrast the different experiences of various ethnic groups in Canada Apply theories of intergroup relations and race and ethnicity to different subordinate groups.

Many Native Americans and others believe sports teams with names like the Indians, Braves, and Warriors perpetuate unwelcome stereotypes. Section Quiz A black person living in Canada People whose ancestors came to Canada through the slave trade A white person who originated in Africa and now lives in Canada Any of the above 2.

What is the one defining feature of a minority group? Self-definition Numerical minority Lack of power Strong cultural identity 3. Beliefs Language Religion Any of the above 4. Subordinate groups blame dominant groups for their problems Dominant groups blame subordinate groups for their problems Some people are predisposed to prejudice All of the above Race Ethnicity Gender All of the above 7.

What is discrimination? Biased thoughts against an individual or group Biased actions against an individual or group Belief that a race different from yours is inferior Another word for stereotyping 8.

Which of the following is the best explanation of racism as a social fact? It needs to be eradicated by laws. It is like a magic pill. It does not need the actions of individuals to continue. None of the above Intersection theory Conflict theory White privilege Multiculturalism Intersection theory Stereotyping Interactionist view Culture of prejudice Segregation Assimilation Genocide Expulsion What doctrine justified legal segregation in the American South?

Jim Crow Plessey v. Ferguson De jure Separate but equal Assimilation Pluralism Expulsion Segregation Melting pot Mosaic Salad bowl Separate but equal They are the only group that experienced expulsion. They are the only group that was segregated. They are the only group that was enslaved. They are the only group that did not come here as immigrants. The Komagata Maru incident affected which visible minority? Which of the following groups is not considered a visible minority in Canada?

Short Answer How do you describe your ethnicity? Do you consider yourself multiethnic? How does your ethnicity compare to that of the people you spend most of your time with? Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination How does racial stereotyping contribute to institutionalized racism?

Give an example of stereotyping that you see in everyday life. Explain what would need to happen for this to be eliminated. Theories of Race and Ethnicity Give three examples of white privilege. Do you know people who have experienced this? From what perspective? What is the worst example of intersection theory you can think of? What are your reasons for thinking it is the worst? Intergroup Relations and the Management of Diversity Do you believe immigration laws should foster an approach of pluralism, assimilation, or amalgamation?

Which perspective do you think is most supported by current Canadian mmigration policies? Which intergroup relation do you think is the most beneficial to the subordinate group? To society as a whole? Race and Ethnicity in Canada In your opinion, which group had the easiest time coming to this country? Which group had the hardest time? Which group has made the most socioeconomic gains? Why do you think that group has had more success than others?