sociology articles Archives - Sociology Learners https://www.sociologylearners.com/tag/sociology-articles/ Knowledge Bank of Sociology Tue, 22 Aug 2023 18:41:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 129612039 Race and Ethnicity in the United States https://www.sociologylearners.com/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-states/ Sat, 12 May 2018 16:52:19 +0000 https://www.sociologylearners.com/?p=517 From the beginning of the country, gender, class and race have been significant element in the individual’s experience in United States. A meaning of the gender differences, class separation and race have changed the history of United States. For Americans, the view of race and class, and degree for which gender discrimination affect the lives […]

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From the beginning of the country, gender, class and race have been significant element in the individual’s experience in United States. A meaning of the gender differences, class separation and race have changed the history of United States. For Americans, the view of race and class, and degree for which gender discrimination affect the lives of people, mostly depend on their gender, class and race too. Several differences have been found among America’s reality, media reality, and perceived reality. In United States, nationals and also outsiders have some confusion and questions in their perspective regarding the real connections between gender, class and race (Wade, 2017).

American media is one of the biggest exports of the American culture. It is one of the widely consumed and distributed forms of culture in United States. It clearly means that Americans not only consume own media in large quantities, but other countries also consume American media. However, nationals of other countries do not understand or interpret the media same way as Americans do, however, different aspect and angles of the American reality and culture are viewed in other countries through media content. Media is one of the most significant tool for discussing class, gender or race in America. It takes viewer for discriminating and understanding the accuracy of proportion found of minority and ethnic groups. As stated by (Omi, 628-629) “Film and television have been notorious in disseminating images of racial minorities which establish for audiences what these groups look like, how they behave, and , in essence, “who they are”. The power of the media lies not only in their ability to reflect the dominant racial ideology, but in their capacity to shape that ideology in the first place”. (Cook, 2017).

Even during the Presidential election of Barack Obama, who was the first nonwhite President in history of United States, has contributed in distorted perception, which decreases racial barriers in American society. White people in America have the privilege in United States and different perception related to the effects of class, gender and race on their culture and to nonwhites. White Americans are seen in lower classes and upper-middle class but nonwhites exist more below poverty line as compare to white Americans (Yanow, 2015).

According to Goldberg, (2016), Columbus sailed Ocean Blue in 1492, and everyone is aware about his story, as it is taught in primary schools or before it. When he was landing in United States, he was unaware that he is exploring or developing the biggest Melting Pot of the world. This “Melting Pot” means that a new country, which is made from the mixture of different beliefs and cultures, hence, creating the new changing-culture and new country. The complication with the “Melting Pot” is that individuals are unable to put individuals of different ethnicity and race together without the conflict. The conflict is defined as “A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interests; a clash.” (Murji, and Solomos, 2015)

It all started from the columnist, who work and farm by themselves on the land, which mostly were stolen. Gradually with the passing years, they started to realize that they should not work on their own, if they have other people for doing this for them. And then shipping of the slaves from Africa started. Thousands of slaves were gathered and brought in this foreign lands as slaves by the white people on the basis of race. And then these racial differences formed America. The foundation of United States was on conflict and tension. And so this strained was obvious and continued after the abolishment of the slavery. People lash out on other races for making themselves better. The use of phrases like “hating crimes” were also popping up. In the last century, American Africans were considered as the inferior groups because of their race. Areas were designated for the colored and white people. Colored nationals were forbidden to eat at certain places, and not even permitted to drink water from same fountain white drank. The discrimination was also done on the basis of ethnicity groups. They degrade minorities and do not protect their rights. Minorities were humiliated at many times (Yanow, 2015).

References

Cook, B., 2017. What impact has Ethnic Studies had on Black men (Doctoral dissertation, San Francisco State University).
Goldberg, D.T., 2016. Racial subjects: Writing on race in America. Routledge.
Murji, K. and Solomos, J. eds., 2015. Theories of Race and Ethnicity. Cambridge University Press.
Wade, P., 2017. Race and ethnicity in Latin America. Pluto press.
Yanow, D., 2015. Constructing” race” and” ethnicity” in America: Category-making in Public Policy and Administration. Routledge.

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Gender Identity https://www.sociologylearners.com/gender-identity/ Fri, 22 Dec 2017 10:10:10 +0000 https://www.sociologylearners.com/?p=387 Sometimes men are tempted towards the feminine social role and women are tempted by the masculine roles. Some societies are flexible in accepting men or women who act out and embrace the opposite social roles as far as it does not interfere with their gender identity. Gender identity is the self-conception of an individual of […]

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Sometimes men are tempted towards the feminine social role and women are tempted by the masculine roles. Some societies are flexible in accepting men or women who act out and embrace the opposite social roles as far as it does not interfere with their gender identity. Gender identity is the self-conception of an individual of being male and female, not on the basis of biological make up but, based on the feminine and masculine gender roles.

Individuals within a society who act opposite to their gender roles are known as transgender. Transgendered male are tempted towards feminine gender roles that they identify their gender as female. Same goes with transgendered female they embrace the masculine gender roles and identify themselves as male. Some transgender alter their bodies surgically and by hormonal therapies so their physical appearance align with their gender identity- they are called transsexuals. Some transgender alter their bodies surgically but others keep their anatomy original as it was at birth, however, they pose in a public as opposite gender. They present themselves as opposite gender by dress, hairstyle, makeup and mannerism. However, it is not necessary that a person who like to dress like opposite sex are transgender, some do it for style and entertainment.

In many societies’ transgendered and transsexual become victim of discrimination and assault. According to a study transgendered and transsexual experience twice discrimination compare to non-transgender individuals. There are many social organizations who are working for the prevention of discrimination against transgendered.

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Collective Efficacy Theory https://www.sociologylearners.com/collective-efficacy-theory/ Mon, 04 Dec 2017 19:06:13 +0000 https://www.sociologylearners.com/?p=352 Another Structural functional school of thought theory of crime is collective efficacy theory. Strain theory explains why some people are more likely to commit crimes than others. Whereas, collective efficacy theory explains why some neighborhoods have more crime rate compare to others. In sociology collective efficacy refers to, the capability of individuals living in a […]

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Another Structural functional school of thought theory of crime is collective efficacy theory. Strain theory explains why some people are more likely to commit crimes than others. Whereas, collective efficacy theory explains why some neighborhoods have more crime rate compare to others. In sociology collective efficacy refers to, the capability of individuals living in a community; to control the deviant behavior of individuals in the community. Controlling the deviant behavior of the members contribute in maintaining the safe environment in the community. Structural functionalist believe that, collective efficacy in community decrease the crime rate in the neighborhood. Those neighborhoods whose members are willing to participate in preventing crimes, have less crime rates than those which do not participate in preventing crimes.

Collective efficacy is dependent upon the shared values of individuals living in a community. If members of community have shared values to prevent crimes and willing to cooperate with one another, to fight the violence and crimes are more likely to create safe environment in the community.

From sociological perspective, collective efficacy is informal norms which control the deviant behavior of the members of community. Practicing of such informal norms on the daily basis leads to prevent delinquent behavior in a community. In order to develop a collective efficacy, members of community should have unity and trust. Without solidarity and cooperation it is impossible for a community members to prevent crimes.

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Social Solidarity https://www.sociologylearners.com/social-solidarity/ Sat, 27 May 2017 08:55:15 +0000 https://www.sociologylearners.com/?p=184 Social Solidarity is how individuals feel connected and united with one another and to the society as whole. According to Emile Durkheim, social solidarity is based on, “social regulation” and “social integration”. Social regulation is based on three components, 1) number of rules; which individuals have to follow in the society it can be social, […]

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Social Solidarity is how individuals feel connected and united with one another and to the society as whole. According to Emile Durkheim, social solidarity is based on, “social regulation” and “social integration”. Social regulation is based on three components, 1) number of rules; which individuals have to follow in the society it can be social, cultural and legal rules, 2) Enforcement of rules; how strictly are those rules enforced by society 3) and Predictability of life; which is connected to the second component of social regulation, individuals might think that, how rigorously they will be punished if they violate the rules and how they will be rewarded if they follow the rules. Emile Durkheim believed that, social regulation is important for the strength of society and health of individuals living in a society. Social Integration is based on two component:

1) how associated individuals feel to the society and with their fellow beings in a society

2) and how often an individual interact with other individuals in a society.

Moreover, Emile Durkheim defined two types of solidarity mechanical and organic solidarity. Traditional societies are held together by mechanical solidarity and urban societies are held together by organic solidarity.

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