Reaction Paper This chapter analyzes the social policy keeping under consideration the theories of sociology. The Sociological theories helps to understand the structure and dynamics of the industrialization process, and to resolve its concomitant social problems, like high levels of crime. It is concerned largely with urban societies, and seeks to understand how individuals fit into mass society, how inequalities based on race, gender and class arise and are perpetuated, how bureaucracies work. The process generated due to the critical analysis about society, which challenges what, is normally taken for granted; in order to lead to new insights Sociologists studied human interaction and organization. This helps policy makers to understand society and their place in it. They also learn skills useful for analyzing topics like poverty, homelessness, divorce, urbanization, joblessness, inequality, race, class, and gender. These topics and others make up the focus of sociological investigation. Sociologists say that everyday life is possible because of shared beliefs. Examples include capitalism, democracy, religious freedom, justice, and meritocracy. Because human interaction is a dynamic rather than fixed phenomenon, sociologists point to historical patterns to help explain modern life. That is to say, people’s behavior is a response to the conditions in which they live. Marx believed in to communist society as an ideal type. In communalism all property is communally owned and no social distinctions are on the bases of people’s ability. Whereas under the principle if laissez faire people could compete freely with minimal government intervention in the economy. The sociologist Richard Schaefer considered Race and ethnicity as a...
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...and labeling theories of sociology in their relation to the study of race and ethnicity. In Part two, examine some often-ignored sources of inter-group conflict in the United States: White ethnic groups and religious minorities. Diversity in the United States is readily apparent when we look at the ethnic and religious groups that have resulted from waves of immigration Part three, brings into sharper focus the history and contemporary status of Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Jews in the United States. Social institutions such as family, education, politics, health care, religion, and the economy receive special attention for the subordinate groups. The author contends that institutional discrimination, rather than individual action, is the source of conflict between the subordinate and dominant elements in the United States.
Despite being a fundamental piece of ethnic studies, the authors mainly focus on the Black Americans and how slavery and consolidation of whiteness produced the modern day race relations in the United States; in other words, they only did far enough to explain the classic dichotomy between the whiteness and blackness. But there is much more to get out from the theory: the societal interactions mentioned by the authors indeed include immigration, since it impacts demographics and race relations among the other races and ethnic categories, such as Latino, Asian, and sub-white
concerns racial equality in America. The myth of the “Melting Pot” is a farce within American society, which hinders Americans from facing societal equality issues at hand. Only when America decides to face the truth, that society is not equal, and delve into the reasons why such equality is a dream instead of reality. Will society be able to tackle suc...
Since 1619, when the first slaves were brought to North America, race has played an important role in everyone’s life; especially those who are different from what people would consider “American”. According to the textbook, “race is defined as any group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographical distribution” (pg. 59). People are placed into different categories instead of all being considered human beings. Although we do not have slavery, that we know of, in the United States today, this does not mean that race is still not an issue. However, race in this country has taken a turn over time and has now, “taken on a meaning that refers to differences between people based on color” (pg.
The United States of America was formed on the basis of freedom for all, but the definition of “all” is very arbitrary. Racial adversity has been an ongoing factor throughout the United States’ history. However, from 1877 to the present, there have been many strides when trying to tackle this problem, although these strides were not always in the right direction. All the books read throughout this course present the progression of race and race relations over the course of America’s history.
Since the beginning of colonization, America has been controlled by religiously and ethically diverse whites. The most profound cases of racism in the “United” States of America have been felt by Native Americans, Asians, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Muslims. Major racially structured institutions include; slavery, settlement, Indian reservations, segregation, residential schools, and internment camps (Racism in the U.S., 1). Racism has been felt and seen by many in housing, the educational system, places of employment, and the government. Discrimination was largely criminalized in the mid 20th century, and at the same time became socially unacceptable and morally repugnant (Racism in the U.S., 1). Although racism was
To understand our existence, we interact with other members of society and develop a set of shared notions, institutions, and structures. Sociology, the systematic study of human society, helps us understand these interactions and developments. In particular, applying the sociological imagination to the social construct of race yields insight into its fallacy and utility. This essay examines the historical origin, functions, and societal implications of race in the United States. I also connect the social construct of race with the writings of Barbara J. Fields, Kingsley Davis, Wilbert E. Moore, Marianne Bertrand, and Sendhil Mullainathan. In a larger context, the social construct of race is a system of schematic classification; race
The article, “RACE AND ETHNICITY- CHANGING SYMBOL IS OF DOMINANCE AND HIERARCHY IN THE UNITED STATES” by Karen I. Blu is an exceptional work that clearly expounds on the racial and ethnic groups especially in America. Racial and ethnic groupings are gradually becoming popular in the public arena, in which people are shifting their focus on classifying other people on the basis of racial groupings to rather classifying them on the basis of ethnicity. Moreover, race grouping is slowly submerging into ethnic grouping with Black activism being the role player in this (Blu, 1979). The following is a summary of the aforementioned article in how it relates to racial and ethnic groups and response regarding its views.
Though the United States is home to many immigrants, controversy surrounds the issue of immigrants in the United States. The United States in a melting pot of various backgrounds and cultures, yet it is hard for all to merge into acceptance of one another. The first chapter of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and class covers stratification, prejudice and discrimination, and inequality.
Omi, Michael and Howard Winant. “Racial Formations.” Race, Class, and Gender in the United States. Ed. Paula Rothenberg. New York, NY: Worth Publishers, 2010. 13-22. Print.
Although it would be an injustice to say that one could sum up the entire history of race interrelations in the United States in one essay, a brief overview is always beneficial.
There are three main theories of sociology; functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. This paper will focus on two of those theories, functionalism and conflict theory. The objective is to delineate the assumptions of two out of the three theoretical perspectives and apply these assumptions to an analysis of social stratification. How this will be accomplished will be by comparing and contrasting their assumptions and by analyzing the two theories affect on social stratification. Then I will state my opinion on which of the two better fits my personal sociological views. Functionalism is many people's way to view the world sociologically. It states clearly that the objectivity of the researcher is necessary and can be accomplished. There are three main points, which make up a functionalist theory on sociological expression. The first point is that culture is made up of interacting, interdependent parts. Each of these parts has a function in maintaining the society as a system on the whole. The second point states that shared values and expectations(or beliefs) among the members of the society help hold the society together. The third point states that these systems have a need for stability and a need to try to keep all the parts working together congruously in a sort of system. Social change in this system is uncommon, and when it does happen, it is a very gradual change. Conflict theory is centered on the tension, or struggle that goes on in everyday life. There are many different parts, which make up the conflict theorist's view on the sociological perspective. The first main part is that society promotes general differences in wealth, power, and prestige. Wealth...
Aguirre, Adalberto, and Jonathan H. Turner. American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of Discrimination. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
Omi, Michal, and Winant, Howard. "Racial Formations." Racial Formation In the United States: from 1960s to the 1990s. Second ed. New York: Routledge, 1994. 3-9. Print.
Today, American society has been dealing with a diversity of ethnicities ranging from African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Asian Americans for many years. In the beginning of America, there was distinguish hierarchical structure of ethnic group brought upon by de-facto segregation and de-jure segregation. However, in the turn of the mid twentieth century, America became unified under a principle of cultural pluralism. The abolishment of slavery, the desegregation of public facilities and intuitions, and the Equal Rights Act of 1964, which gave all minorities including women an equal opportunity, gave rise to the so-called “melting pot” of cultural, languages, and customs. In cultural pluralism, all the various ethnicities are unique in their own way, but not one ethnic group is higher than another. This notion of a hierarchy ethnic group has disappeared during the mist of the civil rights movement through the 1960s. Today,
The early developments of sociology date back to the late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds. Sociology’s development was driven by a shift in three main factors; social, economics and politics. All the major philosophers in the early years of sociology thought about the great transformation from “simple, preliterate societies to massive, complex, industrial societies” (Asanet.org, 2014). This paper will discuss and evaluate how the Industrial revolution, French revolution and the dissolution of feudal social order to influenced the creation of sociology as an academic discipline.