Families and Their Social Worlds

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

Families and Their Social Worlds

Chapter 6:Race, Ethnicity, and

Families


Increasing Diversity in the U.S.


Immigration

Illegal Immigration


Defining Basic Concepts Race - A category composed of people who share real or alleged physical traits that members of a society deem as socially significant

Caucasian – A theoretical racial category comprised of those individuals with relatively light skin

Negroid - A theoretical racial category comprised of people with darker skin and other characteristics such as coarse curly hair

Mongoloid - A theoretical racial category representing those individuals who have characteristics such as yellow or brown skin and folds on their eyelids


Defining Basic Concepts

Ethnicity – Representing culture, including language, place of origin, dress, food, religion, and other values

Ethnic Group – People who share specific cultural features

Minority Group – A category of people who have less power than the dominant group and who are subject to unequal treatment


Defining Basic ConceptsRacism: Pervasive Problem That Affects Families

Racism – The belief that one racial group is superior or inferior to the others



Defining Basic ConceptsRacism: Pervasive Problem That Affects Families

Racism – The belief that one racial group is superior or inferior to the others

Example: Loving Across the Color Line: A White Adoptive Mother Learns About Race

Who Counts as “Them”?Ethnic Cleansing – The systematic killing, torturing, or removal of persons with the intention of eliminating a specific racial or ethnic group


Hispanic and Latino FamiliesA Tapestry of CulturesHispanic Families TodayFamily Focus: Health Insurance and Mexican American Families

Example: “Guadalupe”




Black Families

Black Families TodayEconomic Conditions

Family Focus: Blacks and Extended Families

Extended Families – Families that include other family members such as grandparents, uncles, aunts, or cousins, in addition to parents and children


Asian American FamiliesAsian American Families Today

Example: One Child’s Very Special First Fourth of July“Model Minority”

Family Focus: Generational Tension



Social Policy and Family Resilience

Example: Affirmative ActionAffirmative Action – A set of social policies designed to increase opportunities for minority groups and one of the most misunderstood strategies of our time

Documents

Families and Their Social Worlds