The social dimensions of race and ethnicity are important factors in shaping people's lives. In this chapter, we defined the meaning of race and ethnicity and examined the social construction of these ascribed statuses. We discussed three theoretical perspectives on the unequal treatment of individuals based on their racial and ethnic groups. We noted some patterns of prejudice and discrimination against members of these groups, many of whom are recent immigrants. And we studied the economic effects of the unequal treatment of minority groups.

1. In the United States, people who are White enjoy numerous privileges that they rarely acknowledge, to themselves or to people of other races.

2. Race and ethnicity are socially constructed. The meaning people attach to the physical characteristics of certain groups, which are often expressed in stereotypes, gives race and ethnicity their social significance.

3. When sociologists define a minority group, they are concerned primarily with the economic and political power, or powerlessness, of the group.

4. A racial group is set apart from others by obvious physical differences, whereas an ethnic group is set apart primarily because of national origin or distinctive cultural patterns.

5. Over the last century, the racial and ethnic composition of immigrants to the United States has changed as the major sending nations changed. One hundred years ago, White ethnics from Europe predominated, but today's immigrants come mainly from Latin America and Asia.

6. Functionalists point out that to the dominant groups in a society, discrimination against minority groups may seem to be functional. But for society as a whole, discrimination can be dysfunctional.

7. Conflict theorists stress the harmful consequences of racial subordination. They see the unequal treatment of minority groups as an integral part of capitalism, a view known as exploitation theory.

8. Interactionists focus on the micro-level of race relations, pointing out the ways in which Whites dominate members of other racial and ethnic groups in everyday social interactions. According to their contact hypothesis, racial prejudice and discrimination can be reduced through cooperative contact between the races.

9. Prejudice is a negative attitude toward an entire group, often an ethnic or racial minority. Prejudice is often based on ethnocentrism--the belief that one's own culture is superior to all others--or racism--the belief that one race is supreme and all others are inferior.

10. Prejudice often leads to discrimination against members of a minority group. Discrimination that results from the normal operations of a society is known as institutional discrimination.