Race and Ethnicity

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An analysis of how race and ethnicity factor into cultural identity, including the challenges and opportunities for those who are part of minority groups.

Definition of race and ethnicity: Understanding what race and ethnicity mean, and how they relate to cultural identities, is essential in learning about this topic.
Social construction of race and ethnicity: The social construction of race and ethnicity refers to the fact that these identities are not fixed, biologically determined categories, but instead, are socially constructed concepts that are highly variable across time and place.
Prejudice and discrimination: Prejudice and discrimination are attitudes and behaviors that result from stereotyping people based on their race or ethnicity. Learning about the causes and effects of these phenomena is important in understanding how racism operates.
Systemic racism and its effects: Systemic racism refers to the ways in which social institutions (such as schools, the criminal justice system, and the economy) reinforce racial inequality. Understanding the ways in which systemic racism affects people's lives is important in working towards more equitable societies.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality refers to the way that different forms of oppression (such as racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.) intersect and impact people's lives in complex ways.
Stereotypes: Stereotypes are simplified generalizations about groups of people based on their race, ethnicity, or other characteristics. Understanding stereotypes and their consequences is important in combating prejudice and discrimination.
Cultural appropriation: Cultural appropriation refers to the act of taking aspects of another culture without respect or understanding for its significance. Understanding cultural appropriation and its impact is important in promoting respect for cultural diversity.
White privilege: White privilege refers to the benefits that white people experience in society that are unearned and based solely on their race. Understanding white privilege and its effects is important in promoting racial justice.
Colonialism and its legacy: Colonialism refers to the practice of one country dominating and exploiting another. Understanding the history of colonialism and its lasting impacts on Indigenous communities is important in understanding the complexities of race and ethnicity.
Power and privilege: Power and privilege are central concepts in understanding how race and ethnicity are negotiated in society. Understanding who has power and privilege, and how this power is maintained, is important in working towards more equitable societies.
Quote: "Cultural identity is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture."
Quote: "Cultural identity is a fluid process that is changed by different social, cultural, and historical experiences."
Quote: "Some people undergo more cultural identity changes as opposed to others, those who change less often have a clear cultural identity."
Quote: "There are three pieces that make up a person's cultural identity: cultural knowledge, category label, and social connections."
Quote: "Cultural knowledge refers to a person's connection to their identity through understanding their culture's core characteristics."
Quote: "Category label refers to a person's connection to their identity through indirect membership of said culture."
Quote: "Social connections refers to a person's connection to their identity through their social relationships."
Quote: "Cultural identity is developed through a series of steps. First, a person comes to understand a culture through being immersed in those values, beliefs, and practices. Second, the person then identifies as a member of that culture dependent on their rank within that community. Third, they develop relationships such as immediate family, close friends, coworkers, and neighbors."
Quote: "Underpinning the notion of culture is that it is dynamic and changes over time and in different contexts."
Quote: "Resulting in many people today identifying with one or more cultures and many different..."
Quote: "A person's understanding of their own and other's identities develops from birth and is shaped by the values and attitudes prevalent at home and in the surrounding community."
Quote: "Cultural identity is a part of a person's identity, or their self-conception and self-perception."
Quote: "Cultural identity is both characteristic of the individual but also of the culturally identical group."
Quote: "Cultural identity is related to...upbringing."
Quote: "Cultural identity is both characteristic of the individual but also of the culturally identical group of members sharing the same cultural identity or upbringing."
Quote: "Cultural identity is a fluid process that is changed by different social, cultural, and historical experiences."
Quote: "The person then identifies as a member of that culture dependent on their rank within that community."
Quote: "They develop relationships such as immediate family, close friends, coworkers, and neighbors."
Quote: "Culture is dynamic and changes over time and in different contexts."
Quote: "It is a defining feature of a person's identity, contributing to how they see themselves and the groups with which they identify."