Showing papers on "Prejudice published in 1996"
TL;DR: This paper used data from the 1992 Los Angeles County Social Survey, a large multiracial sample of the general population, to analyze the distribution and social and psychological underpinnings of perceived group competition.
Abstract: Perceptions of threat occupy a central place in race relations in Blumer's theory of prejudice but few direct efforts to study such perceptions exist. Extending Blumer's reasoning, we hypothesize that such perceptions are driven by a group's feelings of racial alienation within the larger social order The more that members of a particular racial group feel collectively oppressed and unfairly treated by society, the more likely they are to perceive members of other groups as potential threats. We also examine whether such perceptions spring from simple self-interest, orthodox prejudice such as negative feelings and stereotyping, or broad beliefs about social stratification and inequality. We use data from the 1992 Los Angeles County Social Survey, a large multiracial sample of the general population, to analyze the distribution and social and psychological underpinnings of perceived group competition. Our results support the racial alienation hypothesis as well as the hypotheses positing effects for self-interest, prejudice, and stratification beliefs. We argue that Blumer's group-position framework offers the most parsimonious integration and interpretation of the social psychological processes involved in the formation of perceptions of group threat and competition. O ) ngoing immigration from Asia and Latin America and the earlier internal migration of African Americans out of the rural South have made most large cities in the United States remarkable multiracial conglomerations (Waldinger 1989). An immediate sociological concern raised by the growing heterogeneity of urban areas is whether members of different groups view one another as direct competitors for scarce economic, political, and social resources (Olzak 1993). Such perceptions may influ
1,366 citations
Book•
19 Feb 1996
TL;DR: Gaines as discussed by the authors argued that uplift ideology was tied to pejorative notions of racial pathology and thus was limited as a force against white prejudice, and pointed out that the meaning of uplift was intensely contested even among those who shared its aims.
Abstract: Amidst the violent racism prevalent at the turn of the twentieth century, African American cultural elites, struggling to articulate a positive black identity, developed a middle-class ideology of racial uplift. Insisting that they were truly representative of the race's potential, black elites espoused an ethos of self-help and service to the black masses and distinguished themselves from the black majority as agents of civilization; hence the phrase 'uplifting the race.' A central assumption of racial uplift ideology was that African Americans' material and moral progress would diminish white racism. But Kevin Gaines argues that, in its emphasis on class distinctions and patriarchal authority, racial uplift ideology was tied to pejorative notions of racial pathology and thus was limited as a force against white prejudice. Drawing on the work of W. E. B. Du Bois, Anna Julia Cooper, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Hubert H. Harrison, and others, Gaines focuses on the intersections between race and gender in both racial uplift ideology and black nationalist thought, showing that the meaning of uplift was intensely contested even among those who shared its aims. Ultimately, elite conceptions of the ideology retreated from more democratic visions of uplift as social advancement, leaving a legacy that narrows our conceptions of rights, citizenship, and social justice. |Amidst the violent racism prevalent at the turn of the 20th century, African American cultural elites, struggling to articulate a positive black identity, developed a middle-class ideology of racial uplift. Insisting that they were truly representative of the race's potential, black elites espoused an ethos of self-help and service to the black masses and distinguished themselves from the black majority as agents of civilization; hence the phrase 'uplifting the race.' A central assumption of racial uplift ideology was that African Americans' material and moral progress would diminish white racism. But Kevin Gaines argues that, in its emphasis on class distinctions and patriarchal authority, racial uplift ideology was tied to pejorative notions of racial pathology and thus was limited as a force against white prejudice.
500 citations
TL;DR: Lee et al. as discussed by the authors conducted a qualitative study of Asian American students in a high school located in a major city on the East Coast, north of the Mason-Dixon line and found that 45% were White, 35% Black, 18% Asian American, and 2% members of other racial/ethnic groups.
Abstract: Unraveling the "Model Minority" Stereotype: Listening to Asian American Youth, by Stacey J. Lee. New York: Teachers College Press, 1996.160 pp. $39.00, cloth; $17.95, paper. Reviewed by Donna Y. Ford, The University of Virginia; and Deneese L. Jones, The University of Kentucky. There seems to be a national obsession with explaining the high educational achievement of Asian American students, who are often referred to as the "model minority." Educators and researchers in particular have relied heavily on comparative research and theory to explain why some minority groups fare better than others educationally and economically. The most popular theory has been that advanced by Ogbu (1978, 1990, 1992), through his comparison of what he calls involuntary and voluntary minority groups. Unraveling the "Model Minority" offers a brief but interesting analysis of Ogbu's theory regarding members of this latter group. Countering Ogbu, Lee contends that his analysis (a) fails to explain why Asians do not perform as well in their respective countries of origin as they do in the United States; (b) fails to explain poor achievement among Asian Americans; and (c) treats voluntary minorities as a homogeneous group, thereby ignoring within-group differences among various Asians (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.). Like Ogbu, Lee places heavy emphasis on comparing the achievements of Asian Americans with African Americans. This is not a criticism, however, for Lee is to be commended for being one of few researchers who has put pen to paper in an effort to raise readers' awareness as well as their consciousness regarding the myths and motives surrounding the seemingly positive stereotype of Asian Americans. As Christine Sleeter states in the Foreword, "the model minority image authorizes flat denial of racism and structures of racial dominance, and silences those who are not economically successful" (p. ix). In unraveling the model minority stereotype, this work illustrates how it is used both as a hegemonic device to support notions of meritocracy and individualism, and as an obvious but long-ignored tactic to pit people of color against each other. The book is based on a qualitative study conducted in a high school located in a major city on the East Coast, north of the Mason-Dixon line. Of the 2,050 students enrolled at this school, 45% were White, 35% Black, 18% Asian American, and 2% members of other racial/ethnic groups. Lee early explains that several questions guided this study, among them the following: What do Asian American student identities explain about the formation of ethnic//racial identity? How does the variation in Asian American student identity contribute to our understanding of the literature on immigrant minorities? How did the model minority stereotype influence Asian American student identity? What identities were encouraged and discouraged by the school? How did the model minority stereotype influence race relations? What influence did the school have on race relations? In search of answers to these questions, Lee conducted semistructured interviews with 47 of the 356 Asian American students, a number of teachers, and several of the school's Black students. The book centers on the experiences of students from four Asian American identity groups: Korean-identified students; Asian-identified students; Asian Americanidentified students; and "New Wavers," a group Lee describes as personifying a culture of resistance to extant racial/ethnic identities. Accordingly, she notes that these four groups are categorized based on the students' levels of racial identity and pride, levels of acculturation, cultural orientations (values, beliefs, behaviors), and attitudes toward school and achievement. After reading this book, readers may begin to sense how the model minority stereotype serves to ease the guilt and appease the conscience of those who wish to ignore the nation's most trenchant social ills-namely, racism, prejudice, and discrimination. …
325 citations
Book•
16 May 1996
TL;DR: The Semiotics of exclusion and exclusion: How Puerto Ricans Became Racialized as discussed by the authors, the political topography of bilingualism, and Good English as Symbolic Capital, and the Race/Class/Language Map.
Abstract: * Introduction: The Semiotics of Exclusion * Racialization and Language * Visions of Disorder: How Puerto Ricans Became Racialized * The Political Topography of Bilingualism * Good English as Symbolic Capital * The Race/Class/Language Map * Epilog
323 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1996TL;DR: Young-Bruehl as discussed by the authors examines the history of prejudice, from the offhand slight to the full-scale war, and searches for an understanding that might take some of the strain out of difference.
Abstract: This work looks at what has been said about prejudice, and what has remained unsaid. It examines this phenomenon, from the offhand slight to the full-scale war, and searches for an understanding that might take some of the strain out of difference. Surveying the study of prejudice since World War II, Young-Bruehl finds a history riddled with assumptions, generalizations, and cliches. The bok proposes a fresh start, and suggests an approach that distinguishes between different types of prejudicss, the people who hold them, the social and political settings that promote them, and the human needs they fulfil. Young-Bruehl draws on theoretical and clinical, historical and empirical literatures to show us prejudices from a variety of angles: there are those that help protect a group's identity (ethnocentrisms) and those that protect a group identity (ideologies of desire); there are prejudices as socioeconomics phenomena, attitude toward governments, products of historical periods, social mechanisms of defence, sexual fantasy structures, and puberty rites. Among the many forms of prejudice, Young-Bruehl pays particular attention to four - antisemitism, racism, sexism, and homophobia - which she exposes in their distinctiveness and their similiarities. The text never loses sight of the specific reality of prejudice, as victims and perpetrators experience it. It concludes with a tour of the mid-1990s, with victims of prejudice testifying to its forms and its effects in immediate terms.
210 citations
TL;DR: The results showed that one third of the participants reported a perceived experience of racism within six months of the interview, and racial identification did not mediate the impact of the experience of Racism.
Abstract: The impact of racism on African American personality, behavior, and health has been debated in the psychological literature. There has been little research however, on racism as a stressful life event. The goal of this study was to learn whether perceived racism produces symptoms of subjective distress noted in relationship to other stressful life events. In addition, this study sought to find whether racial identification mediated the psychological impact of perceived experiences of racism. Two hundred African American adults were surveyed. Participants completed a 30 item racial identification measure, a questionnaire that requested information on the experience of racism, and the Impact of Events scale. The results showed that one third of the participants reported a perceived experience of racism within six months of the interview. Mean scores for intrusion symptoms were higher as the seriousness of the reported event increased. While participants reported avoidance symptoms, there were no differences based on the seriousness of the racial incident. Racial identification did not mediate the impact of the experience of racism.
206 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: It is argued that, although the arguments against continuing to study race have some merit, more rather than fewer studies of race are needed.
Abstract: For at least a century, American medical and public health researchers have used race as a marker for biology, and have documented race-associated differences in health and illness behavior. The research has often been inappropriate and has led to abuses and erroneous conclusions about the role played by race in the production of disparities in health status. Consequently, some researchers have begun to advocate the abolition of medical and public health research using race. In this essay, I argue that, although the arguments against continuing to study race have some merit, more rather than fewer studies of race are needed. Researchers should be more careful in the use of race and more conscious of the limitations of the race concept.
168 citations
TL;DR: Data from a wide range of studies are consistent with an underlying thesis--that the gender difference in heart disease is as much a function of how providers and the system respond as it is of the biophysiology of patients and how they react to events.
Abstract: Epidemiological understanding is incomplete if social system influences on statistical rates are not appropriately recognized. To the traditional epidemiological triumvirate of agent, host, and environment, a fourth influence must now be added--contributions from the social system (like government reimbursement policies, organizational priorities, and the variable behavior of providers). This paper has two sections: the first builds a progressively more complex model (from simple reification, through environmental and personal attributes, to social system influences) to depict the relative contribution of diverse influences to the social production of "facts." The second section considers how social system influences affect health statistics--most emphasis is given to the contribution of health provider behavior (using the widely accepted gender inequality in heart disease as an example). Data from a wide range of studies (employing seven different research methods) are consistent with an underlying thesis--that the gender difference in heart disease is as much a function of how providers and the system respond as it is of the biophysiology of patients and how they react to events. The incorporation of system influences permits the development of an epidemiological imagination, or the ability to link intimate health experiences with more remote social-structural influences.
135 citations
TL;DR: A meta-analysis was performed concerning the prejudice-discrimination relationships using 60 studies published in 53 documents as discussed by the authors, which showed that the strength of the correlation depended heavily on behavioral categories, target groups, assessment strategies for prejudice and discrimination, and the time intervals between measurements.
112 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1996TL;DR: The Nature of Prejudice as discussed by the authors is an Evolutionary model for the development of prejudice and discrimination in women, African-Americans, Deaf persons, and Mentally Retarded Persons.
Abstract: Introduction: The Nature of Prejudice An Evolutionary Model for the Development of Prejudice and Discrimination Brief Cultural Histories of Females, African-Americans, Deaf Persons, and Mentally Retarded Persons Prejudice and Discrimination Towards Opposite-Sex and Deaf Individuals Prejudice and Discrimination Towards Different-Race and Mentally Retarded Individuals Modifying Prejudice and Discrimination Recapitulation
83 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined the different processes that guide judgments of single group members in private vs anticipated public contexts and found that judgments of the target were more consistent with racial attitudes in the anticipated public than in the private condition.
TL;DR: The authors investigated whether these forms of prejudice-related conflict are distinct by determining the extent of association among measures of each form of conflict and the affective reactions associated with each form The authors.
Abstract: Racial ambivalence theory, modern racism theory, and research on prejudice-related discrepancies all suggest that many Whites have conflicting reactions to Blacks The present research investigated whether these forms of prejudice-related conflict are distinct by determining (a) the extent of association among measures of each form of conflict and (b) the affective reactions associated with each form of conflict Results revealed virtually no evidence of overlap among the measures of conflict, and scores on measures of each form of conflict were associated with unique patterns of affective reactions Racial ambivalence was uniquely associated with heightened guilt and discomfort, prejudice-related discrepancies were uniquely associated with heightened guilt and reduced positive affect, and modern racism had no unique affective consequences Theoretical and applied implications of the existence of numerous contemporary forms of prejudice-related conflict are discussed
Book•
01 Jan 1996
TL;DR: Theories of ethnic change and persistence were surveyed in this article, where Max Weber and ethnic identity were discussed and a conceptual model was proposed to find a concept of identity and persistence.
Abstract: Part 1: Finding a Theoretical Focus. 1: Ethnic Pluralism and Industrialization. 1.1: Max Weber and Ethnic Identity. Race and Biological Inheritance. Culture and Consciousness of Kind. Tribe: Emergence of 'A People'. Nationality: The Notion of a 'Volk'. Religion: An Ideological Symbol System. 1.2: Industrial Change: A Major Classical Concern. Marx: Materialism and Stratification. Durkheim: Cohesion and Sacralization. 1.3: Ethnicity and the Chicago School. Thomas and Immigrant Reorganization. Robert Park and Race Relations. Students of the Chicago School. Summary. 2: Theories of Ethnic Change and Persistence. 2.1: Sorting Theories of Ethnic Change. Assimilation: The Melting Pot. Amalgamation: Conformity to a Dominant Group. Modified Assimilation. Modified Pluralism. The Ethnic Mosiac: Multicultural Pluralism. Conflict: The Dialectic of Incompatibles. 2.2: Finding a Conceptual Model. Conformity-Pluralist Model. Voluntary and Involuntary Pluralism. Ethnic and Racial Conflict. 2.3: Ideal Ethnic Types. The Tradition-Directed Ethnic. The Marginal. The Broker or Middleman. Summary. Part II: Providing an Empirical Context. 3: A Demographic History. 3.1: Immigration and Demography. Canadian Immigration Trends. Selection of Immigrants. Origin of Immigrants, 1926-80. Recent Leading Source Countries 1980-93. 3.2: The Canadian Ethnic Population. Ethnic Population, 1871-1991. The Foreign-born Population. Rural-Urban Ethnic Distribution. 3.3: Demographic Ethnic Types. The Aboriginals. The Charter Europeans. The Multi-European Entrance. Visible Third World Minorities. Summary. 4: Multicultural Regionalism. 4.1: Regionalism: A Sense of Place. Linguistic Demography. Original Cultural Ethos. 4.2: Canadian Ethnic Regions. The Northlands: Multilingual and Multicultural. The Quebecois Heartland: Francophone and Multicultural. Atlantic Canada: Anglophone and Anglocultural. The Bilingual and Multicultural Belt. Upper Canada: Anglophone and Multicultural. The West: Multicultural and Anglophone. Summary. Part III: Dimensions of Identity and Solidarity. 5: Language and the Quebec 'Nation'. 5.1: The Quebecois Setting. The Origin of New France. The Demographic and Regional Setting. The Development of Ideologies in Quebec. 5.2: Language: A Francophone Symbol System. The Bilingualism and Biculturalism Commission. Joy's Bilingual Belt. Language Continuity and Shift. 5.3: Studies in Quebecois Solidarity and Change. Miner's French Habitants in St. Denis. Hughes's Industrialized Cantonville. 5.4: Federalist Versus Separatist Dialectics. Trudeau's Federalist Alternative. Levesque's Separatist Solution. Meech Lake and the 1995 Referendum. Summary. 6: Ethnic Identity and Identification. 6.1: Theories of Ethnic Identity. The Macro Sociocultural Approach. The Micro Sociological Interactionist Approach. 6.2: Ethnic Identification Factors. Identification with a Territory. Ethnic Institutional Identification. Identification with Ethnic Culture. Identification with Historical Symbols. Identification with an Ideology. Charismatic Leadership and Identification. 6.3: Ethno-Cultural Identity Dimensions. Rural Ethnoreligious Identity. Sociocultural Factors in Winnipeg. Non-Charter Identity in Five Cities. Ethnic Identity in Toronto. Symbolic Interactionalist Ethnic Identification. Ethnic Identification in Cities. Identification in the Praries. Summary. 7: Construction of a Sacred Reality. 7.1: In Search of Sacred Socialization. Nomos-building of Sacred Canopies. 7.2: Construction of Sacred Canopies. Reconstruction of the Canopy: Aboriginal Food-gathers. Transferral of the Canopy: Hutterite Agriculturalists. Transformation of the Canopy: Jewish Urbanism. 7.3: Sacred Enclavic Communities. Dawson's Sacred Rural Communities. The Urban Sacred Communities. Forming Urban Sacred Communities. Summary. Part IV: Stratification: Power, Status, Inequalities. 8: Class and Socio-Economic Status. 8.1: Theories of Stratification. Class as Functional Inequality. The Radical Marxian Perspective. Weber's Functional and Conflict Synthesis. Post-Marxian Industrial Elites. Class and Social Mobility. 8.2: Empirical Studies of Power and State. Foundation of the Ontario Establishment. Political Dominance of Charter Groups. Social Prestige of Ethnic Groups. 8.3: Socio-Economic Status and Mobility. National Canadian Ethnic Incomes, 1981-1991. Ethnic Socio-Economic Status in Toronto. Social Mobility: Ethnicity as a Resource. Summary. 9: Apartheid: Segregation of Minorities. 9.1: Perspectives on Segregation. Duncan Zonal Segregation Mode. Shevky and Bell's Multiple Nuclei Model. Dawson's Segregation in Montreal. Ethnic Concentration in Winnipeg. 9.2: Ethnic Residential Concentrations. National Urban Diversity. Concentration of Visible Minorities. 9.3: Apartheid: Studies in Segregation. Blacks in Nova Scotia. Arrival of Caribbeans in Toronto. The Chinese: Segregated Chinatowns. Summary. 10: Race and Historic Racism. 10.1: Classification of Humans. Genetic and Skeletal Variations. Visible Minorities as Social Reality. 10.2: Racism in Historical Perspective. White European Dominance. Colonialism. 10.3: Immigration and Race. Immigration Policies. Racial Demographic Characteristics. Socio-Economic Inequality. 10.4: Historic Racism. Slavery of Blacks. Japanese Internment. Summary. Part V: In Search of Human Rights and Freedoms. 11: Racism: Prejudice and Discrimination. 11.1: Democratic Racism. 11.2: Attitudes Toward Pluralism. Mosaic and Melting Pot Preferences. Immigrant and Racial Attitudes. Feeling at Ease with Visible Minorities. 11.3: Indicators of Racism. Social Distance. Ethnic Stereotypes. Ethnic Prejudice. Discrimination: Illegitimate Treatment. National Perceived Dimscrimination, 1980-1995. Differential and Unfair Treatment. Summary. 12: The Quest for Human Rights. 12.1: Individual Rights and Freedoms. The American Bill of Rights. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Typology of Human Rights. 12.2: Ethnicity and Collective Rights. Expulsion of the Acadians. The Metis Nation of the Praries. Settling Indian Land Claims. The Jewish Holocaust. Summary. References. Index
Journal Article•
TL;DR: A theoretical framework for understanding and applying the concept of institutional racism to the medical/health care system and it is suggested that, because of wider structural changes occurring in American society, issues related to racism within medical and health institutions will become increasingly more important.
Abstract: Presented in this paper is a theoretical framework for understanding and applying the concept of institutional racism to the medical/health care system. Medicine and health are viewed as vital social institutions that reflect the norms, values and social stratification systems of the larger society. Institutional or systemic patterns of racism are legitimated and promulgated through accepted standards, criteria, and organizational processes within the medical health complex that have the effect of discriminating against the minority group. It is maintained that racism is manifested (overtly or covertly) through history, ideology, community relations, research, education and the professions, and differential treatment. Focusing on investigators who have conducted studies of "racial bias" in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease, the author discusses some of the shortcomings of this research, from an institution racism perspective. Differential treatment researchers are encouraged to include social theory as part of their analysis and to explain the practical significance of their findings for the equitable delivery of health care. It is suggested that, because of wider structural changes occurring in American society, issues related to racism within medical and health institutions will become increasingly more important.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the psychiatric-epidemiologic and the race-consciousness literatures lead to opposite predictions about the relationship of external attributions (fatalism and system blame) to mental health.
Abstract: The research on external (social system) and internal (personal) attributions to mental health outcomes for African Americans is reviewed. Although many blacks have aspirations that they are unable to achieve, the motivational and mental health consequences of this situation are unclear. Several researchers have suggested that it is adaptive for African Americans to reduce striving effort and bring personal goals more in line with the objective realities of an unfair opportunity structure. Others have proposed that because an unjust system is to blame, the most appropriate response is to work collectively with other group members to make the system more open to opportunities for advancement. Epidemiologic research on the relationship of internal-external locus of control to mental disorder has generally found that being internal has positive mental health effects; while having an external orientation is detrimental. This paper addresses these issues by demonstrating that the psychiatric-epidemiologic and the race-consciousness literatures lead to opposite predictions about the relationship of external attributions (fatalism and system blame) to mental health. The article concludes with a series of issues that need to be addressed in order to advance knowledge about social and psychological risk factors for psychiatric disorders in African Americans.
TL;DR: The authors found that interracial contact actually reduces prejudice, independent of any tendency for favorable racial attitudes to promote contact, and that contact is related both to reduced social distance and to reduced stereotypes.
Abstract: In this study of interracial contact's impact on Whites’ attitudes toward Blacks, an inference drawn from contact theory is explicitly addressed: that contact actually reduces prejudice, independent of any tendency for favorable racial attitudes to promote contact. Results show that contact is related both to reduced social distance and to reduced stereotypes. Results also show that diffuse prejudice toward other minorities, a proxy implying the tendency to avoid contact, is unable to explain contact's association with reduced anti‐Black prejudice, provided that contact is varied and not restricted to an isolated circumstance. These findings imply that, although prejudiced people tend to avoid interracial contact more than unprejudiced people do, contact itself has an independent tendency to reduce prejudice.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, a model is presented that attempts to explain how racism might affect a child's development and consequently his health by incorporating and synthesizing various developmental principles and social cognition theory.
Abstract: It has been posited by some social scientists that racism has a negative impact on the health of certain minority groups in the United States. How racism affects the development of children and thus their health, has not been addressed by research in developmental psychology, despite a plethora of studies of racial/ethnic identity development. Existing developmental theories may be amenable to describing and possibly predicting the role that racism plays on child and adolescent development. A model is presented that attempts to explain how racism might affect a child's development and consequently his health by incorporating and synthesizing various developmental principles and social cognition theory. The need for empirical inquiry on this topic is indicated; design suggestions are offered.
Book•
30 Oct 1996
TL;DR: Kinsbruner's "Not of Pure Blood" as discussed by the authors explores the nature of racial prejudice in nineteenth-century Puerto Rico and suggests that racial discrimination continues to limit opportunities for people of colour.
Abstract: Countering the popular misconception that racial discrimination has largely not existed in Puerto Rico, Jay Kinsbruner's "Not of Pure Blood" shows that racial prejudice has long had an insidious effect on Puerto Rican society. Kinsbruner's study focuses on the free people of colour - those of African descent who were considered non-white but were legally free during slavery - in order to explore the nature of racial prejudice in nineteenth-century Puerto Rico. In considering the consequences of these nineteenth-century attitudes on twentieth-century Puerto Rico, Kinsbruner suggests that racial discrimination continues to limit opportunities for people of colour. Following a discussion of Puerto Rican racial prejudice in historical perspective, Kinsbruner describes residential patterns, marriages, births, deaths, occupations, and family and household matters to demonstrate that free people of colour were a disadvantaged community whose political, social, and economic status was diminished by racism. He analyses the complexities and contradictions of Puerto Rican racial prejudice and discrimination, explains the subtleties of - shade discrimination - and examines the profoundly negative impact on race relations of the U.S. occupation of the island following the Spanish American War. Looking behind the myth of Puerto Rican racial equity, "Not of Pure Blood" will be of interest to specialists in Caribbean studies, Puerto Rican history, and Latin America studies, and to scholars in a variety of fields investigating questions of racism and discrimination.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors draw upon feminist discussions of Eurocentric and androcentric biases that were missed entirely by earlier commentators, and demonstrate that scientific theories are often permeated by specifically Earocentric and and rocentric biases.
Abstract: It is hardly novel to suggest that scientific theories can be shaped by prevailing cultural values. Writing in 1862, just three years after the publication of Origin of species, Marx noted how remarkable it was that "Darwin recognizes among beasts and plants his English society with its division of labor, competition, opening up of new markets [and] inventions" (cited in Schmidt 1971:46). Engels was even blunter, saying that "the whole Darwinist teaching of the struggle for existence is simply a transference from society to living nature . . . of the bourgeois-economic doctrine of competition" (cited in Schmidt 1971:47). Any number of subsequent commentators have made similar remarks about other theories in both the natural and the social sciences. Yet despite this long-standing recognition of the cultural underpinnings of scientific thought, it has been the distinctive contribution of modern feminist theorists to demonstrate that scientific theories are often permeated by specifically Earocentric and androcentric biases that were missed entirely by earlier commentators. "Eurocentric bias" initially meant biases that seemed characteristic of middle-class European intellectuals but its meaning has since been expanded to include biases associated with the white middle class in any Western industrial society, including the United States. "Androcentric bias" refers tO emphases or conceptualizations that derive from a distinctively male experience in society or that work to reinforce patriarchal arrangements. In this article I will be drawing upon feminist discussions of Eurocentric and
TL;DR: The Nation as a Kaleidoscope as mentioned in this paper is a collection of essays about race and ethnicity in the United States, with a focus on race discrimination and race-related issues.
Abstract: 1. Understanding Race and Ethnicity. 2. Prejudice. 3. Discrimination. 4. Immigration and the United States. 5. Ethnicity and Religion. 6. The Nation as a Kaleidoscope. Glossary. References. Photo Credits. Index.
TL;DR: This article found that those high in prejudice (HP) toward gay men do not experience much compunction (e.g., guilt, self-criticism) when they respond with a greater degree of prejudice than is allowed by their own personal standards.
Abstract: Previous work has shown that only individuals with low prejudiced (LP) attitudes toward gay men experience compunction (e.g., guilt, self-criticism) when they respond with a greater degree of prejudice than is allowed by their own personal standards. Those high in prejudice (HP) toward gay men do not experience much compunction (e.g., Devine, Monteith, Zuwerink, & Elliot, 1991). The generalizability of these findings to the domain of prejudice toward Blacks was examined in our research. Despite differences in the nature of prejudice toward gay men and Blacks, the results of two studies closely replicated previous findings. Specifically, LP individuals reported low prejudice and well-internalized personal standards for responding to Blacks, and violations of those standards resulted in feelings of compunction. In comparison, HP individuals reported more prejudice and less well-internalized standards that were not associated with strong compunction when violated. Implications for prejudice reduction are dis...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors re-examine the use and usefulness of categorisation based on race, ethnicity and population group membership in public health research and assess the consequences of using these categories for describing, analysing and redressing disparities in health within South Africa.
Abstract: Objective. This article aims : (i) to re-examine the use and usefulness of categorisation based on 'race', ethnicity and 'population group' membership in public health research ; and (ii) to assess the consequences of using these categories for describing, analysing and redressing disparities in health within South Africa. The utility of categorisation based on 'race', ethnicity and 'population group'. Categorising populations and comparing patterns of disease between different groups of people can be a useful technique for identifying potential causes of disease. In this context, ethnicity is a valid social concept that could be used to investigate the consequences of self-ascribed identity on health. Likewise, 'population group', as defined during apartheid in South Africa, represents a valid political concept that could be used for assessing the impact of social discrimination on health. However, both these concepts are often seen, and used, as euphemisms for 'race', even though there are no genetically distinct human subspecies that can be identified and categorised as discrete 'races'. Indeed, 'race' as a biological concept has no validity in human biology. Nevertheless, categories based on 'race', ethnicity and 'population group' continue to be used in health research, and reinforce the perception that differences in disease between different 'racial', ethnic and 'population' groups are the result of heritable biological characteristics. In so doing, they undermine support for health interventions that would otherwise address the social and political origins of 'racial' and ethnic disparities in health. The utility of 'population group' for redressing the consequences of apartheid. Despite these problems, 'population group' classification provides important information for assessing the impact of apartheid on disparities in health within South Africa. Yet, the abolition of apartheid legislation is likely to result in extensive socio-economic and geographical migration that will weaken the sensitivity and specificity of 'population group' as an indicator for identifying inequalities in health. For this reason, targeting corrective action at specific population groups in order to tackle disparities in health, runs the risk of ignoring alternative social causes of inequalities in health, and ignoring disadvantaged individuals from elsewhere in the population. The continued use of 'population group' classification might also perpetuate the root cause of disparities in health, by maintaining the process used to formalise discrimination. Conclusion. If the purpose of health research is to monitor inequalities in health and to help target resources aimed at reducing these inequalities, then it should seek, in its language, concepts and methods to undermine the root cause of disadvantage. Health research aimed at monitoring and redressing the consequences of social disadvantage on health should therefore focus on non-biological determinants of social disparities in health. As a general rule, health researchers should avoid using categories based on 'race', ethnicity and 'population group' when collecting and analysing health data ; journal editors should not accept articles that use these categories without justification ; and health authorities should not collect data routinely segregated by 'race', ethnicity or 'population group'.
TL;DR: Findings for Arab students, in particular, contradict findings obtained in the laboratory, and suggest that individuals who are highly involved in in-group activities but believe their group is not viewed favorably by others may derogate the members of a salient out-group in an attempt to acquire a more positive social identity.
Abstract: Relationships between indicators of collective identity (collective self-esteem, religious involvement, and involvement in ethnic organizations) and prejudice toward the other-group were examined in a sample of Jewish and Arab students in the United States. Contrary to expectations, collective identity variables were largely unrelated to prejudice among the Jewish students, although the Jewish students who expressed the least amount of anti-Arab sentiment were those who were the most religious. As expected, the Arab students who (a) had low public collective self-esteem and (b) were highly involved in religious and ethnic organizations tended to be the most prejudiced. The findings for Arab students, in particular, contradict findings obtained in the laboratory, using the minimal intergroup paradigm, and suggest that individuals who are highly involved in in-group activities but believe their group is not viewed favorably by others may derogate the members of a salient out-group in an attempt to acquire a more positive social identity.
TL;DR: Aristotle's treatment of trade in the Politics book one is usually regarded as especially hostile, and this is put down to snobbery and political prejudice on his part as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Aristotle's treatment of trade in the Politics book one is usually regarded as especially hostile, and this is put down to snobbery and political prejudice on his part. The Greeks often regarded trade as a degrading thing for a free man to engage in, and it would be surprising if Aristotle's view of trade were entirely unconnected with this Greek sensibility. But there should be something more definite than a loose general affinity if a charge of prejudice is to be taken seriously. A balance of hostile judgements over argued cases to back them up would be some sort of evidence for prejudice, and prima facie evidence against would be anything like a theory from which the hostile judgements followed as conclusions. Theories can be concocted to give the required conclusions, of course, and then we must try to decide how serious the theory is. It comes to this: is there so little in the reasons Aristotle gives for his condemnation of trade that they may be convincingly explained away and belittled as no more than expressions of attitudes?
Book•
01 Jan 1996
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an analysis of the genetic/evolutionary, cultural/historical, and developmental aspects of prejudice and discrimination, and emphasize how certain genetic and evolutionary mechanisms are utilized to both produce and prevent prejudice or discrimination from occurring or to modify these behaviors once established.
Abstract: This award-winning book provides an analysis of the genetic/evolutionary, cultural/historical, and developmental aspects of prejudice and discrimination It emphasizes how certain genetic/evolutionary mechanisms are utilized to both produce and prevent prejudice and discrimination from occurring or to modify these behaviors once established The goals of the book are to help us understand the limitations of interventions and increase tolerance and acceptance of outsiders Peer Prejudice and Discrimination, Second Edition is ideal for advanced-level courses on prejudice and/or discrimination taught in departments of psychology, education, and sociology, as well as a valuable addition to any serious scholars personal library
TL;DR: Three themes emerged from the interviews: the pervasiveness of the stereotype of pregnant African American women; a care that is indifferent, inaccessible, and undignified; and the totality of racism.
Abstract: The rates of low birth weight and preterm delivery are twice as high for African Americans as they are for Whites in the United States. Racism and health care access may be factors in this twofold disparity. To investigate this possibility, we conducted a qualitative study with African American prenatal and postpartum women (N = 14). In 1- to 2-hr interviews, we asked the participants to describe their ability to access health care and their experiences of racism. We then independently and collectively coded the data until consensus (95%) was obtained. Data categories included access to care, treatment, differences in care, stereotypes, and racism. Three themes emerged from the interviews: (a) the pervasiveness of the stereotype of pregnant African American women; (b) a care that is indifferent, inaccessible, and undignified; and (c) the totality of racism. These themes encompass social, political, and economic factors affecting the experiences of childbearing African American families and mandate the need for further investigation and intervention.
01 Apr 1996
TL;DR: The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School as mentioned in this paper is one of the most famous books on education and cultural criticism, and it has been widely cited as a seminal work in the history of education.
Abstract: Neil Postman. The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995. Neil Postman has been an elementary and secondary school teacher, a college teacher, and an editor of ETC. He has written twenty books on education and cultural criticism. In his preface to The End of Education he notes, "by giving the book its ambiguous title I mean to suggest without a transcendent and honorable purpose schooling must reach its finish." The rest of the book expands on the need for and the ways to provide such a purpose. For Postman, schooling is about how to make a life as opposed to how to make a living. The book is organized into two parts. In the first part the author presents a case for schools to revive what he calls "narratives" or guiding principles such as family honor, restraint, social responsibility, humility, empathy, and social equality to produce an informed and educated citizenry. In part two he offers specific ways to accomplish this objective. Here, Postman presents several narratives to help schools recover a sense of purpose, tolerance, and respect for learning. These narratives include the Spaceship Earth (human beings as stewards of the earth), the Fallen Angel (learning driven not by absolute answers but by an understanding that our knowledge is imperfect), the American Experiment (emphasizing the success and failures of our evolving nation), the Law of Diversity (exposure to all cultures in their strengths and their weaknesses), and Word Weavers (the fundamental importance of language in forging our common humanity). This last narrative contains a five-page exposition on general semantics as a method to teach children to use language in a scientific sense in order to avoid misunderstanding, superstition, prejudice, and plain nonsense. It also includes a discussion of the work of I.A. Richards on how definitions and metaphors influence our views of the world. Some of the ground Postman covers in developing his arguments he has visited before in earlier books. The anticomputer, anti-technology bias that caused him to write Technology is also evident here. Those familiar with Teaching as a Conserving Activity will recognize his position that schools should offer a countervailing force to the societal Zeitgeist, and that they should be primarily concerned with promoting humane values. However, as my mother, who is a professor emerita used to say, "repetition is reinforcement." Happily Postman reinforces in a humorous and mostly jargon-free style spiced with lots of new information. As usual, Postman extols the importance of using the Socratic method in the educational process, and the importance of questioning those in positions of authority. …
TL;DR: The intent of this paper is to educate those in society who continue to discriminate against the obese, and to open the authors' eyes to their own behavior, as the author's have been opened.
Abstract: Background: Most people do not realize how pre-judicially damaging they behave, particularly towards the obese. Their discrimination has been deemed, unconsciously perhaps, as acceptable by society. Methods: This paper describes a high school senior's exploration of prejudice and discrimination towards the obese. Results: Through interviews with bariatric surgeons, bariatric patients, an obese victim of prejudice in her high school, attendance at support group meetings, statements from others experiencing similar bias in their workplace as well as a review of the relevant literature, the author developed a new understanding of the extent and depth of prejudice against the obese in North American society. She realized how this prejudice limits social opportunities and access of all sorts, interferes with employment opportunities, and even how deeply it penetrates the medical community. Conclusion: The intent of this paper is to educate those in society who continue to discriminate against the obese, and to open our eyes to our own behavior, as the author's have been opened.
TL;DR: Rational choice theory is the prevailing point of view in political science today and serves as the paradigm by which political behavior is explained and the parameters of research and publication defined as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Rational choice theory is the prevailing point of view in political science today. It serves as the paradigm by which political behavior is explained and the parameters of research and publication defined. Whether it deserves its exalted status is much debated. Its advocates see it as a victory of science and reason over prejudice and irrationality, and as a major contribution to the “intellectual flourishing” of the discipline (Booth, p. 1). Some critics see it as failed science. Others fear it as successful propaganda. The works reviewed here are representative of this range of assessments. Read individually, each offers a competing image of the role rational choice theory plays in political science. Read together, they constitute a dialogue that tells the story of the contemporary discipline and its relationship to the object of its study.
TL;DR: It is highlighted that there are many more similarities between men and women of the same social class than is appreciated, similarities which are possibly greater than those between the same gender across different social classes.