Racial and Ethnic Politics in the US

Huntington:  Who becomes American and why

Based on perceived ability of the group to assimilate

more than empirical evidence about the group’s assimilation

Stereotype:  an oversimplified generalization to which we attribute certain traits or characteristics to a group without regard to individual differences (Parillo, 85)

can be both positive and negative

Stereotypes distort socio-cultural truths but nevertheless are socially approved images held by one group about another (Parillo, 86)

If outgroup is economically successful, stereotyping it as clannish, mercenary, or unscrupulous enables other gropus to affirm their own moral superiority (Parillo, 86)

Likewise of economically unsuccessful or at least challenged

e.g. how does Huntington’s thesis assert the moral superiority of Anglos?

Stereotypes are lasting

      research asked group to select 5 adjectives they felt were most descriptive of 10 racial and ethnic groups

find both reluctance but also a high degree of uniformity in their responses over 35 year span of the study;

e.g. “Americans,” Germans, Japanese and Jews

as hardworking

Irish, Italian as emotional

 “Negroes” (the term used in the study) as carefree

English as conservative

Chinese as commited to family and tradition
 

What stereotypes does Huntington rely on for Hispanics?

What stereotypes does Hasan describe for Muslims??

Hasan

points out the tensions between herself, her life, her attitudes and opinions

and

how we essentialize/stereotype Islam, Muslim women

Racial and Ethnic Politics in the US

Huntington:  Who becomes American and why

Based on perceived ability of the group to assimilate

more than empirical evidence about the group’s assimilation

Stereotype:  an oversimplified generalization to which we attribute certain traits or characteristics to a group without regard to individual differences (Parillo, 85)

can be both positive and negative

Stereotypes distort socio-cultural truths but nevertheless are socially approved images held by one group about another (Parillo, 86)

If outgroup is economically successful, stereotyping it as clannish, mercenary, or unscrupulous enables other gropus to affirm their own moral superiority (Parillo, 86)

Likewise of economically unsuccessful or at least challenged

e.g. how does Huntington’s thesis assert the moral superiority of Anglos?

Stereotypes are lasting

      research asked group to select 5 adjectives they felt were most descriptive of 10 racial and ethnic groups

find both reluctance but also a high degree of uniformity in their responses over 35 year span of the study;

e.g. “Americans,” Germans, Japanese and Jews

as hardworking

Irish, Italian as emotional

 “Negroes” (the term used in the study) as carefree

English as conservative

Chinese as commited to family and tradition
 

What stereotypes does Huntington rely on for Hispanics?

What stereotypes does Hasan describe for Muslims??

Hasan

points out the tensions between herself, her life, her attitudes and opinions

and

how we essentialize/stereotype Islam, Muslim women