2: Key Theoretical Concepts
- Page ID
- 196195
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- 2.1: Defining Race
- Debates continue in and among academic disciplines as to how race should be understood. Most social scientists and biologists believe race is a social construct, meaning it does not have a basis in the natural world but is simply an artificial distinction created by humans. As a result of this understanding, some researchers have turned from conceptualizing and analyzing human variation by race to doing so in terms of populations, dismissing racial classifications altogether.
- 2.2: Ethnicity and Religion
- While sociologists sometimes use the umbrella phrase "race-ethnic groups," making a distinction between race and ethnicity is important for sociologists. Ethnicity refers to common cultural practices tied to a particular nationality of origin, such as language, religion, foodways, history, traditions, and values. Religious denomination varies across race-ethnic groups.
- 2.3: Social Stratification
- Identity shapes our perceptions and the way we categorize people. Our individual and collective views influence our thinking. Regardless of personal, cultural, or universal identity people naturally focus on traits, values, behaviors, and practices or behaviors they identify with and have a tendency to dismiss those they do not.