History of the Problem of Race and Ethnicity - Essay Example

RACE AND ETHNI Introduction: Looking into the history of the world at large, it becomes evident that almost all of the human societies from themost primitive Paleolithic and Neolithic ages to the most modern ones of industrialization and technological advancements are socially stratified. This stratification is based on caste, class, clan, community, culture, region, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, age and socioeconomic status. The stratification has observed variety and multiplication in the contemporary age where large number of individuals travel from one part of the world to the other in order to get education, employment, engage in business and commercial activities, obtaining therapeutic aid medical treatments, visiting relatives, friends and historical places, attend mega sports and cultural events and others. Moreover, immigration policies launched by the developed nations have also motivated the people to move from pole apart regions to settle down permanently. In addition, colonialism during Europeans scramble for Africa in 18th and 19th centuries accelerated assimilation and acculturation of different races and regions. Constant and continuous interaction among the people of different races and ethnic groups gave birth to amalgamation of new communities and social groups. RACE AND ETHNICITY: The term race and racial group signify the group of people containing specific physical features, complexion and traits. Color of skin, shape and form of hair on head, presence of hair on body, height and physical appearance differentiate the people of one race from the other. The examples of different races include African Blacks, Asian, Caucasians, White people, yellow people of Japan, China and Hong Kong and others. "In United States, skin color is an obvious difference. On a cold winter day when one has clothing covering all, but ones head however, skin color may be les obvious than hair color. (Schaefer, 2006:5) Thus, race specifies the origin of the people living as minority in a great country like USA, which cannot lose its identity even after living for many decades in the region other than and outside their own. Ethnic group, on the other hand, refers to the cultural divergence among the people living in the same region or area. Since every group of people maintains its own literature, language, norms, traditions, mores and cult, it looks different from other groups prevailing in the society. As local, and native communities have their own culture and language, which may be different from other groups of people. The same is the case with the people living in Ireland and Wales, which have their own language other than traditional English language. They have their own patterns of behavior and conventional way of interaction with other members of society. The United States of America is a country where people from all parts of the globe have been residing for over two centuries as permanent as well as temporary settlers. Especially during the colonial era, African blacks were captured and were taken as slaves and their descendants make up significant part of the total population. In the same way, Asian, European, Australian and Arab nations have also become the part of social, cultural, economic and political set up of America. This all has given birth to the idea of multi-cultural society where individuals belonging to various regions and races of the world practicing divergent religious practices are living as one single nation. A large part of the individuals settled in America has got themselves assimilated with the native culture, yet an overwhelming majority of the immigrants could not adopt the patterns of American religious beliefs, though they became part of the people celebrating regional festivals and cultural norms. Since America has become a multicultural country, there exists competition, conflict and even serious feelings of alienation and hatred among different races and ethnic groups. The co-operation and understanding between them all is essential for the peace and solidarity of various groups and communities. It may surely be supportive in developing of a progressive and prosperous America at large. The sociologists like Professor Todd Gitlin and Hobsbawm go against the idea of identity politics. They view it as a constant threat to the unity of the American society. Also, it will widen the gulf between various strata of society. Identity Politics, Gitlin states, may drag the social life towards the activities that have been erected on the grounds of racism and ethnocentrism. Preferring the member of one’s own racial group severely hits the concept of nationalism. It is dangerous to be in a state of alienation in one’s own social set up. There must be complete acculturation from the immigrants who have been living or have decided to make new country their homeland. Offering opportunities to one ethnic group may put the talent in jeopardy. Critics of identity politics including Andrew Sullivan and others, write Duberman (2001), claim the very reality that multiculturalists must stretch beyond their cultures and identities. Identity Politics won popularity in America in 1970s. Based on racial, communal and other prejudices, the movements caused polarization in the country. Though, the majority groups hurt the minors including Muslims, Blacks, Communists, women, homosexuals and others, and they met suppression, yet there are many ways to mend the problem. Marxist perspective was also a reaction to the exploitation of the upper classes to the lower stratum. Feminist also blame male-dominating society responsible for the creation of Feminist movement. Establishment of Feminist Jurisprudence, Gay Liberation Front, Black Civil Rights Association and other such organizations and groups have weakened the foundations of the state. The unity as a nation underwent serious set back and disintegration gave way to group based identity. The local White people of the USA see threat of being the victim of ethnic hatred in future years to come. CREATION OF ASIAN INDIAN GROUP: Asian Indians are the people which belong to Indo-Pakistan sub-continent. The group consists of Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and Nepalese people. The immigration of the Indian people was the result of British Imperialism during their reign in the region from May 1857 to August 1947. It was the time when the British captured the Indian throne and ruled over the masses. During this period, the Indian people had got chances of going abroad particularly to the UK and the USA for seeking higher education and better job opportunities subsequently. The Asian Indians also established their own businesses and engaged themselves for the development of the United States. The major religions of these people include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and Jainism. The people immigrated from the south Asian part of the sub-continent introduced their own languages including Urdu, Persian, Punjabi, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Marathi and others. In addition, they also built their religious buildings e.g. temples, churches, mosques and alike to worship in congregation. The languages they used gave birth to new and novel words and phrases in the US language and also followed the patterns of US culture and civilization. The Indians of the colonial age maintained inferiority complexes because of the harsh, prejudiced and haughty attitude of the local Americans. Sometimes, few of the Indian immigrants also contested against the biased ness of the Native Americans, but were derived back with an iron hand by the majority of white population. In addition, they had to undergo serious mental, physical and emotional break down whenever any individual of their race committed any type of crime or found involved in delinquent behavior and activities. FICTIONAL ACCOUNT OF A SUB-ORDINATE GROUP: I belong to Indian Asian sub-ordinate group living in the USA for over six decades. My grand-father migrated from India to do his Bar at Law from New York. He fell in love with an American lady and the couple got married soon. My grandmother gave birth to my father in 1948 and got all his education in America. He is a lawyer and is doing his practice in California. California has black, white, brown and yellow races and contains the people having different religious practices. I have also done my masters in Sociology from the University of California. During the studies, I had to face feelings of hatred from White majority which looked down upon the Asian Indians. I also had to tolerate rude behavior of the White population while traveling. But the percentage of extremist is comparatively low. Everything was bearable before the sorry incident of so called 9/11, but the catastrophe brought unabated prejudiced attitude in its wake. The American nation was divided actually in the aftermath of plane collisions with the WTC. Being the Muslim member of the society, the people started looking at me with suspicion and doubt. Once a group of orthodox Christians attacked on me in the premises of my alma mater, and tortured me severely for nothing. I also underwent tough time while traveling and moving in my own area. Even the biased Hindus of my own country pointed out me many times as a fundamentalist. Being Muslim, I strongly believe in peace and solidarity and am eager to serve the country as my father and grandfather has served the nation. But the prejudiced attitude has broken my heart. It became hard for me to continue my job even. Though with the passage of time, the things began to reduce to normalcy, yet there are many matters to amend as yet. BIBLIOGRAPHY Schaefer, Richard T. 2006 Racial and Ethnic Groups Tenth Edition Prentice-Hall Pearson Education, Inc. Duberman, Martin. “In Defense of Identity Politics” Quoted in InTheseTimes.com. July, 2001. DESCRIPTION Description Key Term This group is the same as a subordinate group. A defining feature of this group is that its members have less control or power over their lives than do members of dominant groups. Minority group This describes the social structure between competing groups as defined by conflict or tension. An example would be the conflict that occurs between Haitians and United States citizens when Haitian refugees seek a new home in the United States. Conflict perspective This is a group with distinct national origins or cultural patterns. For example, Norwegian Americans belong to this type of group. Ethnic group Women are considered the social minority in the United States because they belong to this group, and are sometimes subject to prejudice and discrimination. Gender group This is the study of social behavior. A professional in this field may study intergroup relations between African Americans and Asian Americans, for example. Sociology This occurs when a person both believes and feels that his or her own racial group is superior to another racial group. Racism The most common definition of this term is a social ranking by social wealth. An example would be a family whose income level categorizes them below the poverty line, versus a family whose income level categorizes them far above the poverty line. Class This is when an oppressor uses race to determine who is and is not privileged. These determinations are made by assigning characteristics to races and dividing them into groups. At minimum, characteristics include physical or cultural traits. Social construction of race This is a broad generalization about groups which does not account for individual differences. An example would be if a person were to generalize that all people from New York City are pushy. Pluralism Among many others, Chinese Americans, African American, and Caucasians are examples of this group. Members of such a group can be identified by obvious physical differences. Subordinate group This occurs when a dominant group forces a minority group to live, work, or socialize separately. The high index of Blacks and Whites living separately in Detroit, Michigan is an example. Segregation Another way of describing a minority group, this type of group comprises people of certain race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability. Members of such a group exhibit five distinct characteristics. Racial group This occurs when a person, or the group to which that person belongs, assumes the characteristics of a dominant group. An example would be an Indian-born United States citizen choosing to abandon his or her cultural norms in favor of United States norms. Assimilation This group is associated with a faith other than that of the dominant group. For example, individuals who practice Buddhism in the United States belong to this type of group. Religious minority group This perspective maintains that groups in society may express their cultures without facing prejudice or hostility. In part, it can be seen in some of the larger United States cities. Stereotype, Read More