Sociology 1027A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Symbolic Ethnicity, Dear Abby, Thomas Luckmann

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 1027A/B
• Professor: Wolfgang Lehmann

Document Summary

Chapter 5 - the social construction of race and ethnicity. Despite the fact that canada is one of the few countries that embraces multiculturalism, questions regarding the value and sustainability of multiculturalism still arise. Ethnicity and race are often interchangeably used, however there are distinctions between the two words. An individual"s racial group can often be determined based on eye colour, hair texture, and various physical traits. Ethnic groups often share cuisine, common history, and a language. From the view of essentialism, ethnic and racial groups have been consistent throughout the past and have experienced little to no change. This view also argues that nationalities and ethnic groups are rooted in biological aspects and in location. A critique of this ideology is that it sees ethnicity and race as permanent, which does not account for the changes that have occurred in different races and ethnic groups.