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Answer: Members of ethnic groups share certain beliefs, values, customs, and norms because of their common background. Such groups may define themselves as different because of language, religion, historical experience, geographic isolation, kinship, or "race." A human race is an ethnic group that is assumed to have a biological basis. In the United States, most people use the terms ethnicity and race interchangeably. Given the lack of a precise distinction between human race and ethnicity, it is probably better to use the term "ethnic group" instead of "race" to describe any such social group. Answer: The United States used to be a melting pot, but today it is more like a salad. The melting pot model best describes an assimilationist society in which minority groups are incorporated into the dominant culture to the point where they no longer exist as separate cultural units. All of the minority groups are blended into the dominant "flavor" of the melting pot, which represents the dominant culture. Is this what we see in the United States today? While minority groups in the United States have to adopt some of the cultural standards of the United States, they are encouraged to maintain their own traditional beliefs, values, customs, language, and history. Multicultural societies socialize people into both the dominant national culture and an ethnic culture. As a result, a salad best represents multicultural societies like the United States because in a salad, each ingredient remains distinct, although they are all in the same bowl covered with the same dressing. Answer: Ethnic diversity is generally either embraced and celebrated or it is discouraged. Multicultural societies view ethnic diversity as desirable and as something to be encouraged. Assimilationist societies tend to view ethnic diversity as disruptive and as something that needs to be controlled. In some cases, a dominant group may try to destroy the cultures of certain ethnic groups (ethnocide) or force them to adopt the dominant culture (forced assimilation or cultural colonialism). It is important to understand that while multiculturalism is generally peaceful, it is not necessarily perfect. In the United States, members of ethnic groups (particularly minority groups) are often the target of prejudice and discrimination and, in certain instances, even violence. Answer: No. Because human racial classification is a cultural construction, there is no universal system of classifying race. Rather, each culture has its own way of determining race. Racial identities in the United States and Japan are very rigid and fixed from birth. In contrast, the notion of race in Brazil is fluid and flexible. Individuals' racial identities may change along with their phenotypical characteristics because of environmental factors. The racial labels that people use to describe themselves or others can even vary from day to day. Answer: Since human racial classifications have no valid basis in biology, they must be cultural constructions. By definition, cultural constructions are arbitrary in that they are created and maintained by individual cultures. As a result, cultural constructions are not fixed; rather, they are dynamic and can vary through time and space. For instance, are the notions of race found in the United States today the same as those that existed 50 years ago? 100 years ago? 200 years ago? Are the notions of race found in urban areas identical to those found in more rural parts of the country? These differences exist because race is a cultural construct. As such, race changes and can be changed. People can actively influence how race is perceived. What role did Martin Luther King, Jr. play in changing American attitudes about race? What about Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson? |