Race & Ethnicity

the process by which a minority group and a majority group combine to form a new group

• colorism

• assimilation

• amalgamation

the process by which a minority individual or group takes on the characteristics of the dominant culture

• colorism

• assimilation

• amalgamation

the benefits people receive simply by being part of the dominant group

• social construction of race

• white privilege

• stereotypes

oversimplified ideas about groups of people

• racism

• segregation

• stereotypes

the school of thought that race is not biologically identifiable

• social construction of race

• scapegoat theory

• pluralism

a theory that suggests that the dominant group will displace its unfocused aggression onto a subordinate group

• sedimentation of racial inequality

• scapegoat theory

• institutional racism

the practice of routinely refusing mortgages for households and business located in predominately minority communities

• racism

• prejudice

• redlining

a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices that are used to justify the belief that one racial category is somehow superior or inferior to others

• prejudice

• stereotypes

• racism

the use by law enforcement of race alone to determine whether to stop and detain someone

• racism

• racial profiling

• stereotypes

the ideal of the United States as a “salad bowl:” a mixture of different cultures where each culture retains its own identity and yet adds to the “flavor” of the whole

• intersection theory

• racial steering

• pluralism