6.7: Student Resources

Key Terms/Glossary

• Arab Spring - a series of protests against oppressive government regions in the Middle East that sometimes resulted in violence.
• Biological sex - refers to “the different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females, such as reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones, etc.
• Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s - a movement that attempted to ensure equal treatment under the law for Black and African American citizens in the United States.
• Culture - broadly defined, is the combination of customs, social institutions, arts, media, and social, economic, political achievements of a social group.
• Ethnicity - a broader term than race. Used to categorize groups of people according to their own relation to culture.
• Gender - broadly defined as a spectrum of characteristics ranging from feminine to masculine, and gender tends to have more to do with how a person wants to identify.
• January 6th 2021 United States Capitol Attack - an event in the United States where approximately 2,000- 2,500 supporters of then President Donald Trump attacked the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. with the intent of overturning the 2020 election results where Joseph Biden won the presidency.
• Norms - defined as standard practices, rules, patterns and behaviors that are considered acceptable in a society.
• Parochialism - a system where citizens are not involved, engaged, or remotely aware of the political operations in their country.
• Participant system - a system where citizens are aware of government actions, are able to influence and participate in governmental decisions, and at the same time, they must abide by the laws and rules of the government.
• Political identity - how a person or group of persons think of themselves in relation to the politics and government of a country.
• Political mobilization - defined as organized activities intended to motivate groups of participants to take political action on a particular issue.
• Political socialization - the process in which our political beliefs are formed over time.
• Postmaterialism - the extent to which a political culture focuses or cares about issues which are not of immediate physical and material concern, like human rights and environmental concerns.
• Race - defined “a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits.”
• Sex-selective abortion - a practice of terminating a pregnancy once the sex of the infant is known.
• Sexual orientation - defined as the sustained pattern of romantic and/or sexual attraction to people of opposite sex or gender, same sex or gender, or to both.
• Society - broadly defined, refers to a population which has organized itself based on shared ideas for how the world acts and should act through both formal and informal institutions.
• Subject system - a system where citizens are somewhat aware and responsive of their governmental systems, and at the same time, heavily controlled and legislated by their governments.
• Trust - the extent to which citizens believe in the reliability, validity, or truth of their government and their fellow citizens, plays a significant role in political outcomes.
• Women’s suffrage - the right of women to vote in elections, over 180 countries now allow women to vote in some capacity.

Summary

Subsection #6.1: Introduction to Political Identity

Political identity refers to the labels and characteristics an individual chooses to associate with based on a multitude of factors including but not limited to, their perception of political ideologies, platforms and parties, as well as how they see themselves from national, racial, ethnic, linguistic, cultural and gender perspectives. Human attachment to political identities has been mobilized for/with political consequences. Political socialization is the process by which individuals perceive the political world around them, come to understand how society is organized, and how they see their own role in society based on these perceptions. Political socialization occurs within families, schooling, church communities, and any engagement individuals have with the outside world.

Subsection #6.2: Political Culture

Culture is the combination of customs, social institutions, arts, media, and social, economic, and political achievements of a social group. In many ways, culture can be seen as a “catch-all” for so many factors of social behavior, habits, and traditions found in a society. Cultures that enforce strict adherence to norms tend to have greater control over their own populations, and often less crime, and the promotion of self-control among individuals. In contrast, countries that do not promote strict adherence to norms may be more disorganized and have potentially higher crime, but are more open to other ideas, cultures, and ways of life.

Subsection #6.3: Race and Ethnicity

Race is “a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits.” Ethnicity is used to categorize groups of people according to their own relation to culture, such as racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, and origin. Race and ethnicity play a major role in politics around the world. Almost every country on the planet has unique historical contexts and political circumstances that in some way are affected or effected by different racial or ethnic groups.

Subsection #6.4: Gender

According to the World Health Organization, biological sex refers to “the different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females, such as reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones, etc.” Relating to biological sex, the divide between male and female has often influenced politics. Most frequently, women in most societies have been historically underrepresented and discriminated against. Another factor of concern in this area is the acceptance of gender identity in different political systems.

Subsection #6.5: Comparative Case Study:

Japan and India are both democracies with new constitutions formed in the post-World War II period. Within both countries’ constitutions, there is an emphasis on equal treatment under the law for all citizens, as well as freedom from discrimination based on race, religion, sex, and other factors of importance in both societies. Nevertheless, the countries have struggled with large gender gaps in relation to women in the workplace, women’s earnings with equal credentials and positions as men, access to healthcare, and representation in politics. Women in both countries struggled significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and gender gaps further widened. Japan has instituted new policies to try to close the wide gender gaps, while India has been struggling to devise new policies to improve gender gaps across all segments of society.

Review Questions

1. Organized activities intended to motivate groups of participants to take political action on a particular issue are:
   1. Political activities
   2. Political Identity
   3. Political Mobilization
   4. Arab Spring
2. The process by which individuals perceive the political world around them, come to understand how society is organized, and how they see their own role in society based on these perceptions is:
   1. Society
   2. Political Mobilization
   3. Political Socialization
   4. Political Identity
3. One way an individual becomes socialized is:
   1. Through their families
   2. Through their schooling
   3. Through their church or religious community
   4. All of the above are correct
4. The combination of customs, social institutions, arts, media, and social, economic, political achievements of a social group is:
   1. Culture
   2. Norms
   3. Political Identity
   4. Political Mobilization
5. Countries that have loose norms tend to:
   1. Be more open to other cultures
   2. Experience better economic outcomes
   3. Experience better political outcomes
   4. All of the above are correct

Answers: 1.c, 2.c, 3.d, 4.c, 5.d

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Consider your national, state and local political context. How is political activity, engagement and behavior shaped by cultural influences and broader social norms, codes, and values?
2. In what ways do cultural and political identities such as race, ethnicity, and gender become politicized in the U.S. and around the world?
3. How can politics and identity inform, or broaden, our understanding of social movements, the economy, regime formation and transition, and overall political participation?

Suggestions for Further Study

On Political Identity and Culture

Books

• Amitav Ghosh, (1988) Shadow Lines, Ravi Dayal Publishers
• Samuel Huntington, (1996) The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Simon and Schuster.
• Anna Tsing, (2004) Friction, An Ethnography of Global Connection, Princeton University Press

On Race and Ethnicity

Books

• Michael Dawson, Behind the Mule: Race and Class in African-American Politics
• Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Barbershops, Bibles and BET (Princeton: Princeton University Press)
• Doug McAdam, Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency
• C. Van Woodward, The Strange Career of Jim Crow
• Donald Kinder and Lynn Sanders, Divided by Color: Racial Politics and Democratic Ideals (1997)
• Paula McClain and Stewart, Can We All Get Along? Racial & Ethnic Minorities in Amer. Politics (2005)
• Abigail and Stephan Thernstorm, ed. Beyond the Color Line (2002)
• Wolbrecht, Tillery, and Hero, ed. The Politics of Democratic Inclusion (2005)
• Wilkins, David E. 2002. American Indian Politics and the American Political System, 2d. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
• Reimers, David M. 1992. Still the Golden Door: The Third World Comes to America, 2d. New York: Columbia University Press. Selections from the CQ Researcher. 2005. Issues in Race, Ethnicity, and Gender, 3d. Washington, DC: CQ Press.

On Gender

Books

• Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics, 3rd Edition edited by Susan Carroll and Richard Fox. 2010.
• Women and Politics by Julie Dolan, Melissa Deckman, and Michele Swers. 2011.
• When Does Gender Matter? Women Candidates and Gender Ste