Transcript Ethnicity and Race

Who are we?
Where do you come from?
 Do people ever ask you where you are
from?
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INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCES
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Unless you are an indigenous person everyone
on this land has an immigration story
What does it therefore mean to be an
Australian?
Journey of leaving home land – arrival and
experience
Process of feeling on the “outter” when you are
new and feeling different
Leaving, journey and arrival
Identity – what does it mean to be an Australian
in a culturally diverse Australia?
How do we honour the presence of ourselves
in this place?
The complexity of building Australian society
Immigration museum – identity
and belonging
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Go onto ethnicity tab – Pauline Hanson,
John Howard Speech, white pickett
fence  how can words and speeches
be used as tools for both inclusion and
exclusion?
What do race and ethnicity
mean?
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Use a range of sources such as a
dictionary, encyclopaedia and the
internet to examine different definitions
of race and ethnicity; consider how the
definitions have changed over time and
the preferable definitions in sociological
study
The difference
RACE
ETHNICITY
• Physical characteristics
• Socially constructed cultural traits
that are seen as important to a
society (learnt and passed across
generations through process of
socialisation
The nature and meaning of the
sociological concepts of race and
ethnicity
Ethnicity refers to a social group, categorised
by a distinctive way of life with set customary
values
 Race is a socially constructed category of
people who share biologically transmitted
traits that members of a society consider
important such as skin colour and facial
features
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RACE
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Scientists introduced concept of
race more than a century ago as a
way to assign ethnic groups into
racial ‘types’
People were categorised in the
following
“relatively light skin and fine hair –
CAUCASOID
People with darker hair NIGROID
and people with yellow or brownish
skin and distinctive folds on their
eyelids MONGOLOID”
Sociological terms..
Race refers to an ‘ascribed status’ (a
label created by those outside of an
ethnic group)
 People are considered to be similar
because they share common physical
features
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RACE
The types of classification
systems that assigned
individuals and groups to
categories were ranked or
hierarchical
 Racial distinctions rather than
specific biological differences
were used to maintain
patterns of power and
inequality within society
(Giddens et al 2009)
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E.g. – the use of Social Darwinist theory
to justify the Protection and Segregation
policies which has a devastating impact
upon Indigenous Australians
RACE
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Sociologists consider the use of socially-constructed
racial categories to be misleading and harmful
Macionis (2010) made the following observations
about the use of racial classifications
The meaning and importance of race varies from
place to place and over time
Societies use racial categories to rank people in a
hierarchy giving some people more money, power
and prestige than others
Despite the creation of broad racial categories,
scientific method has established that there are no
biological ‘pure’ races
Watch clips on race and ethnicity
and how changed over time
Ethnicity
Socially constructed cultural traits that
are seen as important to a society
 Members of a group can claim an ethnic
identity
 Or an ethnic category may be assigned
to them by others
 These characteristics are learnt and
passed across generations through the
process of socialisation
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Member of ethnic groups share a
common cultural heritage that they
believe identifies them as unique
 These cultural features help to
distinguish ethnic groups from one
another
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Common characteristics include:
- National origin
- Language
- Religion
- Food
- Styles of dress
- Sense of common historical heritage
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Factors contributing to the
formation of ethnicity
language
Styles of
dress
Religious
Ethnicity
Ancestry
History
Customs
Food
Ethnicity Vs Race
Sociologists prefer to use the concept of
ethnicity rather than race BUT
What are the issues related to the study
of ethnicity?
 What do sociologists need to be aware
of?
 Ref pg 54-55
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Concerns include:
Way an ethnic group sees
itself might not correspond
to the way that those
outside the group view
them
The ‘culture’ ethnic groups
share is often considered
‘traditional’ and fixed
rather than adapting and
changing over time
Ethnic communities often
misrepresented as a
homogenous group
neglects variations within
groups
Ethnic roles are eand may
change according to the
setting
Research and media reporting tend to
focus on migrant or minority groups
that have highly visible customs rather
than low profile groups
Revision so far..
Complete Activity 3.10 pg 55
 Define the concepts of race and
ethnicity
 Describe the difference between race
and ethnicity
 When does a person stop being ethnic?
 Why do sociologists need to be careful
about the label of ethnicity when
conducting research?
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Reading
Consider what are the main points of the
article
 What is it saying about race and
ethnicity?
Smiling faces mask an unease about
growing ethnic diversity.docx
ready to confront your own racism article.pdf
pride dosent run skin deep article.pdf
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Key concepts
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Ethnocentrism
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Cultural relativism
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The “other”
My culture and
beliefs are the
best. I have the
tendency to
measure all other
cultures in relation
to my own
I try to understand
others and not
judge! I attempt to
understand a
cultures behaviour,
customs, religion
and language in
terms of that
cultures set of norms
The ‘other’
Refers to the “not self”
Human societies have
needed a “them” and “us” as
a means to stress the values
and characteristics seen as
normal
 This then acts as a guide for
social rules and norms
 Categorisation of groups as
the “other” is shaped by and
measured against the “self”
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The concept of the “self” is a reflection
of the dominant core (centre) of
society
 From an Australian perspective the self
is viewed as white Anglo-Celtic culture.
 The beliefs and cultural practices of the
dominant culture are reflected in range
of social systems such as political
institutions, the media and the
workplace
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Notion of “otherness” – has been
applied to many ethnic groups within
Australian society.
 Such as Asians in the 1900s and more
recently to individuals and communities
who practice the Islamic faith
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Is it the belief that ‘others’ are
those who don’t speak English
as a first language or who
have values and beliefs that
are different to ‘Aussie’ culture
(e.g. playing sport,
participating in beach culture,
BBQ’s and Christianity)
This is of course not a true
reflection of values shared by
the vast majority of Australians
It is a good example though of
how groups seek to label
cultural differences as
abnormal and threatening
See Cronulla riots!!!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYiA
AxZWyys
A good exam response
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Multiculturalism, the coexistence of many cultures in parallel facilitated
by overarching respect for societal institutions, shows
the meaning and potential of national culture. Australia was originally a
monoculture, a society in which there is a dominant
system of social heritage and learned patterns of thinking, feeling and
acting with the expectation that minorities would
assimilate to the dominant set of physical and cultural characteristics.
This was embodied through its White Australia Policy and
within that the Immigration Restriction Act, which imposed a dictation
test that would deny, unwanted migrants access to
Australia. Australia transitioned over time to a ‘multicultural society’ that
is united by ‘respect for each other, our culture of a
fair go, our spirit of equality and our humane commitment to those in
strife’. This explains how cultures have the potential to
evolve as a society … exemplified by Usman Khawaja’s achievement
of becoming ‘the first Muslim to represent Australia’
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National culture refers to the physical characteristics of a nation
including: language, lifestyle, events and icons. A controversial
aspect of Australian national culture is multiculturalism, and whether we
can manage to have a unifying national culture … As
sociologist, Hugh McKay believes, Australia is a young nation, one
which is constantly evolving … Despite racial disparity, the
growth of knowledge and understanding that comes with meeting
people from differing backgrounds rewards Australia with a
unifying national culture … Australia [embracing] ‘Harmony Day’ which
occurs annually, [reflects that we] embrace diversity
as we are a nation of equality of opportunity for all.
[This diversity can present challenges, such as, racism, including] …
the 2005 Cronulla Riots where anyone who did not look
‘Australian’ was targeted and bashed, and the recent attacks on Indian
students in Melbourne.
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“You’re in Australia…Speak
ENGLISH, “Aussie Pride!!!”
LOVE IT OR GET OUT!!
“learn the Aussie language,
Respect our way of life, ITS
NOT HARD!!”
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Watch racism in Australia –
like a disease - SBS
YOUR TASK:
Complete Activity 3.11: Cyber Racism
within Australia
 And 3.12 pg 58
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What is the representation
suggesting?
Pauline Hanson
The nature and theory of ethnic
hybridity – STUART HALL
Stuart Hall – cultural theorist and
sociologist
 Ethnic hybridity – concept used to
describe the experience of people who
have multiple ethnic identities
 E.g. Greek Australian children who have
on set of cultural experiences within
their homes and local communities and
an entirely different identity within their
schools
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HYBRIDITY
New cultural forms resulting from a
mixture of two or more cultural
influences
 It is common amongst young refugees
and second or third generation migrants
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These multiple identities reflect the idea
that the concept of ethnicity is both
temporary and evolving
 See Greek interview
 ..\Sociology university greek
interview.doc
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HALL
Hall suggests hybridity involves a
process where individuals develop
connections across cultural groups
 People identify with and choose
elements of more than one culture that
then form a blended ethnic identity
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BHABHA’S THEORY
Bhabha’s theory is informed by the
experiences of second generation
migrants
 He describes ethnic hybridity as being a
position of “in-between”
 This period of “in-between” relates to the
shift from identification with one culture
until the complete assimilation into
another
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http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/dis
coverycentre/identity/people-like-me/
People Like Me
Image: Tony Lewis
Source: ABC
 Desperately wanting to assimilate as a child migrant, I shed
everything that made me feel different in my new country. In my
30s I realised that food is the vehicle that can help me keep in
touch with my past and have something to hand on to the
future, whether it be children or fellow Australians. It is a way I
can still bond with the generations before me, even with the loss
of traditional values and language.Poh Ling Yeow, Cook, TV
Presenter, Artist, 2011We know when we belong. We can see
ourselves reflected in others. It might be a community or
internet group. It might even be a nation.
 Fitting in with other people may not be easy. We start searching.
We may need to invent our own club. We seek opportunities to
connect with others.
 Why do we need to belong? Who do you belong with?
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I belong do you? Museum
Victoria
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http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigratio
nmuseum/discoverycentre/identity/about
-the-exhibition/
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Postcards http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigratio
nmuseum/discoverycentre/identity/ibelong-postcards/
Experiences of Hybridity
Zuleka Zevallos (2003) interviewed
young Latin-American women living in
Australia and observed that to some
degree their ethnicity was selective.
 The young women had the option of
seeing themselves as Latin-American or
Australian and at times both
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example of multiple ethnic identities
Sometimes their expressions of their
Latin American self were displayed for
example through dance, food and dress
 There were also times when the women
were happy to embrace their Australian
identity, particularly when themes of
gender relations or sexuality were
involved – they preferred to engage with
the Australian values of equality and
indepndence
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Not all ethnic groups are able to move
freely between cultural identities
 Waters (1990) notes that while people of
European decent in American society
are able to celebrate their ethnic
identities others faced a “socially
enforced racial identity” – often a
society attaches a label to an ethnic
group and that group then finds it
difficult if not impossible to challenge
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Challenges young people face
Young Australian migrants face particular
challenges as they adjust to a new culture
and form adult identities
 Some young people struggle to balance
their parents/communities expectations of
them with the values of their peers and
wider society
 This is often called “caught between
culture”
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CREATION OF CONFLICT
The experience of cultural adjustment
often generates conflict between young
people and their families
 This originates from families placing a
great deal of importance on cultural
maintenance, but at the same time
expecting young people to succeed in
mainstream society
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RESPONSES BY YOUNG PEOPLE
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According to Berry there are 4 common
responses by young people to this pressure
Assimilation – adopt new culture and reject
old culture
Withdrawal – they reject new culture and
preserve of exaggerate old culture
Marginalisation – reject both old and new
cultures
Integration or biculturalism – maintain
important aspects of their old culture while
also adopting parts of their new culture
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Complete Activity 3.13 pg 60
Australia’s ethnic diversity
compared with other developed
countries
AUSTRALIA’s DIVERSITY
INTERNATIONAL
COMPARISION
DOWNLOAD
FACE THE
FACTS AND
COMPARE
THE TWO –
see pg 61 for
website