what constitutes a minority group

Louis Wirth

defined a minority group as "a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination".

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What are the 5 characteristics of minority groups?

• Groups who are differentiated on the basis of culture such as language, food
• US Ethnic Minority Groups: Hispanics or Latinos such as Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Cuban; Jews are also consider cultural minorities instead of religious minorities.
• Racial groups can also so have distinctive cultural traditions

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What ethnic groups are considered minorities in the US?

Minorities are usually defined as four major racial and ethnic groups in the 1990s: African Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asians, and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics. States and communities are the most visible places in America where racial and ethnic diversity is transforming.

What makes someone a minority?

minority, a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that coexists with but is subordinate to a more dominant group. As the term is used in the social sciences, this subordinacy is the chief defining characteristic of a minority group. As such, minority status does not necessarily correlate to population. In some cases one or more so-called minority groups may have a population many ...

What defines a minority group?

Sociologist Louis Wirth defined a minority group as “a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.

What are considered minority groups?

There are seven key minority and indigenous groupings: Latinos (including Puerto Ricans), African Americans, Asian Americans, Arab and other Middle Eastern Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawai'ians and other Pacific Islanders, and Alaska Natives.

What are the 5 characteristics of a minority group?

According to Charles Wagley and Marvin Harris (1958), a minority group is distinguished by five characteristics: (1) unequal treatment and less power over their lives, (2) distinguishing physical or cultural traits like skin color or language, (3) involuntary membership in the group, (4) awareness of subordination, and ...

What are the 4 minority groups?

There are seven key minority groupings: Latinos (including Puerto Ricans), African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Arab and other Middle Eastern Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawai'ians, and Inuit and Alaska Natives.

What is the key defining feature of a minority group?

minority, a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that coexists with but is subordinate to a more dominant group. As the term is used in the social sciences, this subordinacy is the chief defining characteristic of a minority group.

How do you prove you are a minority?

Proof of minority status The most common way for applicants to demonstrate their ethnic or racial background is by producing the birth certificate or death certificate of a parent or grandparent during the certification process.

How do you identify as a minority?

Minority group membership is typically based on differences in observable characteristics or practices, such as: ethnicity (ethnic minority), race (racial minority), religion (religious minority), sexual orientation (sexual minority), or disability.

What are the 6 race categories?

OMB requires that race data be collectd for a minimum of five groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. OMB permits the Census Bureau to also use a sixth category - Some Other Race.

What are 10 different races?

Definitions for Racial and Ethnic CategoriesAmerican Indian or Alaska Native. ... Asian. ... Black or African American. ... Hispanic or Latino. ... Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. ... White.

What are the 3 largest minority groups?

Hispanic and Latino Americans are the largest ethnic minority, comprising 18.7% of the population, while Black or African Americans are the largest racial minority, making up 12.1%.

What are the 6 patterns of minority?

6 Basic Characteristics of Minority GroupsPhysical and cultural traits: Members of a minority group share some physical and cultural characteristics that distinguish them from the dominant (majority) group. ... Unequal treatment: ... Ascribed status: ... Solidarity: ... In-group marriage: ... Subordination:

Which of the following tends not to be true of minority groups?

Which of the following tends not to be true of minority groups? Group members tend to dominate members of other groups.

What are the 6 patterns of minority?

6 Basic Characteristics of Minority GroupsPhysical and cultural traits: Members of a minority group share some physical and cultural characteristics that distinguish them from the dominant (majority) group. ... Unequal treatment: ... Ascribed status: ... Solidarity: ... In-group marriage: ... Subordination:

What are the 4 factors that increase minority influence?

Four main factors have been identified as important for a minority to have an influence over a majority. These are behavioral style, style of thinking, flexibility, and identification.

What is a minority What are the characteristics of a minority group quizlet?

characteristics of a minority group. - members receive unequal treatment from the dominant group. -members have physical or cultural characteristics that distinguish them from the dominant group. -membership is usually not voluntary. -members generally marry within the group.

What are the 3 largest minority groups?

Hispanic and Latino Americans are the largest ethnic minority, comprising 18.7% of the population, while Black or African Americans are the largest racial minority, making up 12.1%.

What is the disability rights movement?

The disability rights movement has contributed to an understanding of people with disabilities as a minority or a coalition of minorities who are disadvantaged by society, not just as people who are disadvantaged by their impairments.

What is an involuntary minority?

Also known as "castelike minorities," involuntary minorities are a term for people who were originally brought into any society against their will. In the United States, for instance, it includes but is not limited to Native Americans, Puerto Ricans, African Americans, and native-born Mexican Americans.

What is a national minority?

In addition, minorities may also be immigrant, indigenous or landless nomadic communities. This often results in variations in language, culture, beliefs, practices, that set some groups apart from the dominant group . As these differences are usually perceived negatively, this results in loss of social and political power for members of minority groups.

What are the characteristics of a minority group?

Joe Feagin, states that a minority group has five characteristics: (1) suffering discrimination and subordination, (2) physical and/or cultural traits that set them apart, and which are disapproved by the dominant group, (3) a shared sense of collective identity and common burdens, (4) socially shared rules about who belongs and who does not determine minority status, and (5) tendency to marry within the group.

Why are minority groups not given equal treatment?

The various minority groups in a country are often not given equal treatment. Some groups are too small or indistinct to obtain minority protections. For example, a member of a particularly small ethnic group might be forced to check "Other" on a checklist of different backgrounds and so might receive fewer privileges than a member of a more defined group.

What is a minority group?

A minority group, by its original definition, refers to a group of people whose practices, race, religion, ethnicity, or other characteristics are fewer in numbers than the main groups of those classifications. However, in present-day sociology, a minority group refers to a category of people who experience relative disadvantage as compared ...

Why are voluntary minorities more likely to do better in school?

Immigrants take on minority status in their new country, usually in hopes of a better future economically, educationally, and politically than in their homeland. Because of their focus on success, voluntary minorities are more likely to do better in school than other migrating minorities.

What is a minority?

Minority, a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that coexists with but is subordinate to a more dominant group. As the term is used in the social sciences, this subordinacy is the chief defining characteristic of a minority group. As such, minority status does not necessarily correlate to population.

What are some examples of oppression?

They typically devastate the economic, political, and mental healthof the majority population as well. Many examples of minority expulsion exist, as with the British deportation of the French population of Acadia, a group that became known as Cajuns, in 1755. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw widespread mob violence against minorities, including pogromsagainst Jews (in Russia) and lynchingsof blacks, Roman Catholics, immigrants, and others (in the United States; seeKu Klux Klan). The mid-20th-century Holocaust, in which Nazisexterminated more than six million Jews and an equal number of other “undesirables” (notably Roma, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals), is recognized as the most egregiousexample of genocide in the modern era. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, ethnic cleansing and genocide in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sudan, and elsewhere provided tragic evidence that the forcible elimination of minorities continued to appeal to some sectors of society.

How does the role of minority groups vary from society to society?

Thus, the role of minority groups varies from society to society depending on the structure of the social system and the relative power of the minority group. For instance, the degree of social mobility of a member of a minority group depends on whether the society in which he lives is closed or open. A closed society is one in which an ...

How do minorities disappear?

A minority may disappear from a society via assimilation, a process through which a minority group replaces its traditions with those of the dominant culture . However, complete assimilation is very rare. More frequent is the process of acculturation, in which two or more groups exchange culture traits. A society in which internal groups make ...

What is pluralism in society?

Pluralism occurs when one or more minority groups are accepted within the context of a larger society. The dominant forces in such societies typically opt for amity or tolerance for one of two reasons.

What was the 20 year period of begrudging toleration?

Another example of begrudging toleration can be seen in Britain in the 20-year period following 1950 , which saw an influx of immigrants from the Caribbean, Pakistan, and India. Many British people did not like these new minority groups, but the nation’s prevailing democratic ideology overcame attempts to eject them.

Why are some groups not considered minorities?

The lack of significant distinguishing characteristics keeps certain groups from being classified as minorities. For instance, while Freemasonssubscribe to some beliefs that are different from those of other groups, they lack external behaviours or other features that would distinguish them from the general population and thus cannot be considered a minority. Likewise, a group that is assembled for primarily economic reasons, such as a trade union , is seldom considered a minority. However, some minorities have, by custom or force, come to occupy distinctive economic nichesin a society.

What is an involuntary membership?

Involuntary membership in the group (no personal choice) Awareness of subordination and strong sense of group solidarity. US Ethnic Minority Groups: Hispanics or Latinos such as Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Cuban; Jews are also consider cultural minorities instead of religious minorities.

What is a group that experiences a narrowing of opportunities?

A group that experiences a narrowing of opportunities (success, education, wealth, etc) that is disproportionately low compared to their numbers in the society. Distinguishing physical or cultural traits, e.g. skin color or language. Unequal Treatment and Less Power over their lives.

What is a minority group?

What is a Minority Group? A subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their lives than members of a dominant or majority group. Not limited to mathematical minority: example women, Blacks in South Africa, Blacks in Mississippi and South Carolina in the 1920's.

What is an ethnic group?

Ethnic. Groups who are differentiated on the basis of culture such as language, food. US Ethnic Minority Groups: Hispanics or Latinos such as Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Cuban; Jews are also consider cultural minorities instead of religious minorities. Racial groups can also so have distinctive cultural traditions.

What is a minor in California?

California Family Code § 6500 defines minor as follows: A minor is an individual who is under 18 years of age. The period of minority is calculated from the first minute of the day on which the individual is born to the same minute of the corresponding day completing the period of minority. [ Cal Fam Code § 6500]

What is a minority religion?

For example a minority religion refers to a religion held by a minority of the population of a country, state, or region. There are laws to protect the rights of religious minorities, such as protecting the minorities' culture and to promote harmony with the majority. Again there can be ethnic or racial minorities.

What is a minority?

The term minority has the following distinct meanings in law. The state or condition of being under legal age. A group that does not constitute a politically dominant voting majority of the total population in a given society.

What Are Minority Groups?

Sociologist Louis Wirth (1945) defined a minority group as “any group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.” The term minority connotes discrimination, and in its sociological use, the term subordinate group can be used interchangeably with the term minority group, while the term dominant group is often substituted for the group that represents rulers or is in the majority who can access power and privilege in a given society. These definitions correlate to the concept that the dominant group is that which holds the most power in a given society, while subordinate groups are those who lack power compared to the dominant group.

What are the different races?

German physician, zoologist, and anthropologist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752-1840) introduced one of the famous groupings by studying human skulls. Blumenbach divided humans into five races (MacCord 2014): 1 Caucasian or White race: people of European, Middle Eastern, and North African origin 2 Ethiopian or Black race: people of sub-Saharan Africans origin (sometimes spelled Aethiopian) 3 Malayan or Brown race: people of Southeast Asian origin and Pacific Islanders 4 Mongolian or Yellow race: people of all East Asian and some Central Asian origin 5 American or Red race: people of North American origin or American Indians

What are the characteristics of a minority group?

According to Charles Wagley and Marvin Harris (1958), a minority group is distinguished by five characteristics: (1) unequal treatment and less power over their lives, (2) distinguishing physical or cultural traits like skin color or language, (3) involuntary membership in the group, (4) awareness of subordination, and (5) high rate of in-group marriage. Additional examples of minority groups might include the LGBTQ community, religious practitioners whose faith is not widely practiced where they live, and people with disabilities.

What are some examples of ethnic groups?

For example, ethnic groups such as Irish, Italian American, Russian, Jewish, and Serbian might all be groups whose members are predominantly included in the “White” racial category. Ethnicity, like race, continues ...

What is the difference between a minority and a dominant group?

The term minority connotes discrimination, and in its sociological use, the term subordinate group can be used interchangeably with the term minority group, while the term dominant group is often substituted for the group that represents rulers or is in the majority who can access power and privilege in a given society.

What race is Caucasian?

Caucasian or White race: people of European, Middle Eastern, and North African origin

How many ethnic groups are there in Vietnam?

For example, someone in the United States may, with no ill-intent, refer to all Vietnamese people as an ethnic group. But Vietnam is home to 54 formally recognized ethnic groups.

What tribe runs two casinos in Arizona?

For the Salt River tribe of Phoenix, which runs two casinos in Arizona, criteria for membership require at least a quarter Indian blood from the Pima or Maricopa lines. Membership then affords a person the opportunity to sit on the board that regulates the casinos and how gaming revenue is spent.

What does Charles argue about ethnicity?

Charles argues that ethnic heritage should be determined by each individual, the way the Census allows . But many people's self-identification remains limited by their skin color, which influences the perceptions of others. As we've seen with Warren, lack of primary proof combined with public perceptions can be politically problematic.

Why do people use mixed race?

For generations, people have used their mixed-race background to gain advantages in society. Many of those who were half black, for instance, "passed" for white to avoid discrimination. Today, some people have flipped the "one-drop rule" to claim minority status to try to gain perceived advantages in scholarships, ...

How many Native American tribes are there in the US?

Among the 400-plus federally recognized Native American tribes in the U.S., questions about the authenticity of people's tribal memberships have led to power struggles and in some cases expulsions.

What is the one drop rule?

The early 20th century's "one-drop rule" stated that a person with a single drop of African blood in their lineage was considered black, and the classification was used for discriminatory purposes.

Is minority status diverse?

But the ways we define minority status are as diverse as the people defining themselves.

Is Trayvon Martin's mother Latino?

Once it was reported that Zimmerman's mother is Latino ...

Overview

Law and government

In the politics of some countries, a "minority" is an ethnic group recognized by law, and having specified rights. Speakers of a legally recognized minority language, for instance, might have the right to education or communication with the government in their mother tongue. Countries with special provisions for minorities include Canada, China, Ethiopia, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Croatia, and the United Kingdom.

Definitions

Examples of minority groups

See also

External links