Terms of Race, Ethnicity, and Racialization - Essay Example

? Race, Ethni and Racialization Introduction Evidence collected by geologists over the years affirms their claim about the worldexisting as a single land mass before tectonic and other forces of nature resulted in its splitting into smaller continents (Webster 1993, p. 97). It was from this that the emigration, migration and immigration phenomena came into existence. People began moving for a variety of reasons. Some migrated in search of food, improvement and survival reasons, for example, fearing for one’s life because of impending danger (Webster 1993, p. 99). Anthropologists’ research into the migration patterns of the early man provides insightful information about the impact of modernization on migration of people into new territories. Early man migrated because of climatic changes that caused food shortages, affected the fertility of their productive lands used in agricultural ventures (Webster 1993, p. 100). The reasons continue to change with the modernization of society. Migration in contemporary societies remains a sensitive concept. This is because other aspects, for example, race and ethnicity come into play with the movement of people. For example, an analysis of immigration in the United States indicates that the constitution acknowledged the rights of Asian immigrants in their constitution, in the 1800s, despite their existence within the country (Webster 1993, p. 105). Legislation imposed and enforced laws, which bred racism and ethnic discrimination amongst the inhabitants of the different states; for example, only White aliens qualified for naturalization before the abolishment of these laws in the 1960s. This essay defines the terms, race, ethnicity, and racialization. In addition, it further discusses the impact of the three on the migration of people in different countries (Webster 1993, p. 107). Race Scholars define race as the biological division of man based on the physical distinctions, which include skin color or other innate, physical features. Sociologists attribute the formation of the concept of race to the European imperialism (Grosfoguel 2011, p. 162). European countries competed fiercely among each other because each country wanted to emerge as the dominant nation. Therefore, they socially constructed the concept of race in order to distinguish between European citizens and citizens from the dominated countries. As a result, racial stereotypes justified the committing of the greatest human atrocities recorded in history (Grosfoguel 2011, p. 162). The rush for oversea colonies, was period marred by racial discrimination of the natives of colonized countries; for example, the institution of the slave trade in the African continent. Despite the abolishment of slavery, the negative effects continue to be felt to this date in contemporary societies, for example, racial stereotypes remain attached to descendants of races sold into slavery (Grosfoguel 2011, p. 163). Sociologists concur that racism can either be subtly or overtly displayed (Grosfoguel 2011, p. 163). An analysis of the psychology of racism indicates that individuals might unconsciously possess racial attitudes despite claiming not to possess racial stereotypes towards a certain race. This is because many people deny the existence of these negative attitudes (Grosfoguel 2011, p. 164). In addition, they might be unaware that their socialization into their societal norms or expectations might constitute to racial bias towards a group of people. Individuals’ psychological need to conform to the societal expectations predisposes them to engaging in racial acts. Racism exists in different levels; individually, institutionally, and systematically or societally. The different forms impact migration negatively. Firstly, racism does not promote social cohesion between people of different races (Grosfoguel 2011, p. 165). As a result, native inhabitants result in hate crimes directed to migrants of different races causing a breakdown in the social function of society. Functionalists like Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons advanced that all functions present in a society depend on each other for the society to function as a whole (Grosfoguel 2011, p. 166). Therefore, a disruption in a single function results in an imbalance within the society causing its disintegration. Racism causes the disintegration of society through the disruption of the social function. It also disrupts the migration of people from one country to another. The failure of people to migrate deters progress within a society(Grosfoguel 2011, p. 167). Racialization Scholars define racialization as the process of creating racial identities by assigning racial stereotypes to a group of people despite the previous non-existence of a racial identity (Gupta 2007, p. 198). Racialization occurs when people rely on a single aspect, for example, religion, becomes the basis of attaching racial stereotypes towards people unified by the same aspect. Racialization resembles racism because it is a term socially constructed by people with negative racial biases towards people sharing a common aspect. For example, there exists widespread racialization of individuals who profess the Islamic faith(Gupta 2007, p. 198). Despite Islam being a religion, many people view it as a race. As a result, non-Muslims with prejudicial biases against Muslims might result in extremist behaviors against them for no apparent reason (Gupta 2007, p. 199). Racialization affects the migration of people in different countries. Research done in a small city, in England, home to Peterborian natives helps to showcase the impact of racialization of migration. The exploration of the complex, dynamic, and nuanced constructions of belonging occurs in this research (Gupta 2007, p. 200). Long-term Peterborians exuded feelings of pride when they realized that their city attracted migrants. This is because they viewed cultural diversity as a sign of modernity, which symbolized progress of their society. However, the migrants’ arrival created tensions by reinscribing racialization among the Peterborough’s ethnic minorities. This is because they viewed cultural diversity as an intrusion to their structured culture (Gupta 2007, p. 201). Ethnicity and migration Ethnicity describes an individual’s heritage. This heritage may stem from factors such as culture, language and even religion. Ethnogenesis is the process through which an ethnic group emerges (Gerber 2011, p.107). The process of ethnogenesis may take a short or long time relative to the manner in which the persons involved relate to each other. Ethnogenesis may also look favorably at other ethnic groups or otherwise (Gerber 2011, p.107). In the event that the environment is favorable, different ethnic groups relate well with one another, borrow customs and, therefore, end up creating new ethnic groupings through their varied interactions. On the other hand, some circumstances may cause the environment in which different ethnic groups interact to be hostile (Gerber 2011, p.107). As such, the ethnic groups view each other as obstacles and potential hindrances to their success and happiness. This hostility causes them not to interact well with each other (Gerber 2011, p.107). The process of migration relies on ethnicity to a large extent (Gerber 2011, p.102). Ethnicity may have a negative or positive effect on migration depending on the situation. There are two possible factors that may affect the process of migration in regard to ethnicity. The first factor is the history of the two ethnic groups (Gerber 2011, p.102). When two ethnic groups have a history of violence between them then migration may be a problem. For instance, ethnic groups that subscribe to the Islamic religion are notorious for causing war during their migration especially into Christian regions. In this case, host ethnic groups may resist their “intrusion”. This scenario is evident even in the 21st century (Gerber 2011, p.103). While terrorists rage their holy war, other countries resist them. Case in point America against Al qaeda or Kenya verses Al Shabaab. When innocent Arabs try to migrate to other countries they may find it difficult because the host country may judge them on past events. The second factor is the similarities that may exist between different ethnic groups(Gerber 2011, p.103). In the event, that the similarities are many then the migration process is easier. The two ethnic groups interact and accept their differences with ease. However, when there is a sharp contrast between the ethnic groups, interactions become a problem (Gerber 2011, p.103). Evaluation There is a correlation between migration, ethnicity and race (Gerber 2011, p.101). An analysis of the migration trends in America reveals a few factors that support this claim. For instance, it was easier for Europeans to migrate to America than people from other continents (Gerber 2011, p.103). This is because their race relates to that of the Americans, and they practiced almost the same religion and shared political ideologies. On the other hand, Africans were the extreme of Americans. Their race was “too different”, their culture and their religion also hence their ethnicity was too different (Gerber 2011, p.105). As such, in the absence of the slave trade, few Africans would have migrated to America. A second example is that of Asians; around the period of the world wars and a few decades later, Asians, especially the Japanese and Chinese, represented hostility and terrorist tendencies. The American constitution endorsed acts that saw to it that there were strict migration rules to inhibit Asian migration (Gerber 2011, p.106). Conclusion Migration is responsible for both ethnogenesis and racialization (Gerber 2011, p.109). During and after migration, persons seek either communal or psychological support from their ethnic leanings in the new environments. With time, the need to belong overthrows the need for support (Gerber 2011, p.110). At this point, as the immigrants interact with the natives, ethnogenesis occurs. This new ethnic group has features of the immigrant group and the host group, therefore, better adopted to cope with the new environment (Gerber 2011, p.111). Finally, the process of racialization commences. Meanwhile, race and ethnicity determine the success of any migration as racialization indicates the successful settlement and subsequent adaption of immigrants (Gerber 2011, p.112) Bibliography Grosfoguel, R., 2011,Race and Ethnicity or Racialized Ethnicities? Carlifornia: University of California, Berkeley, USA. Gupta, T. D., 2007,Race and Racialization, Canada: Canadian Scholars' Press. Gerber, D. A., 2011, American Immigration: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Webster, Y. O., 1993,The Racialization of America, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Read More