EDUC 1100: Human Diversity25 Terminology Definitions
Discrimination: denying some groups access to the privileges, rights and opportunities enjoyed by other groups.
Race: a group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality or geographic distribution (i.e. Black, White, Asian, Latino, Native American)
Ethnicity: a sub-category of race, based on characteristics such as shared sense of group membership, values, behavioral patterns, language, political and economic interests, history and ancestral geographical base.
Examples of different ethnic groups are:
CapeVerdean, Haitian, African American (Black)
Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Hmong (Asian)
Cherokee, Ojibwe, Navajo, Lakota (Native American)
Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican (Latino)
Polish, Irish, French, German (White)
Ethnocentrism: the belief that one’s ethnic group is superior to all others, resulting in discrimination toward those of different ethnic backgrounds or national origin.
Racism: the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
the discrimination on the basis of race.
attitude or action whose outcome oppresses people of color and benefits white
people.
Segregation: the policy or practice of separating people of different races, classes, or ethnic groups, especially in schools, housing, and public or commercial facilities, as a form of discrimination.
Culture: aspects of a social environment that are used to communicate values such as what is considered good and desirable, right and wrong, normal, different, appropriate, or attractive. The means through which society creates a context from which individuals derive meaning and prescriptions for successful living within that culture (language and speech patterns, orientations toward time, standards of beauty, holidays that are celebrated, images of a “normal” family).
White Privilege: the benefits of access to resources and social rewards and the power to shape the norms and values of society which Whites receive, unconsciously, by virtue of their skin color in a racist society.
Stereotype: characteristics assigned to a particular group, regardless of individual variation. It is usually simplistic and an exaggeration of habits, traits, abilities, o expectations (i.e. girls aren’t as smart as boys, all gay men are effeminate, etc.).
Prejudice: a belief in the stereotypes about a social group that leads individuals to prejudge people from that group or the group in general, regardless of individual differences among members of that group.
Generalization: a general statement or concept obtained by inference from specific cases. An idea determined from a few select cases that is used to apply to a larger whole.
Oppression: the exploitation of one social group by another for the benefit of the oppressor group.
Antisemitism: discrimination against, denigration, or oppression of Jews, Judaism and the cultural, intellectual, and religious heritage of the Jewish people.
Classism: bias based on social or economic class. The institutional, cultural, and individual set of practices and beliefs that assign differential value to people according to their socio-economic class.
Imperialism: the system by which one country dominates, through the use of economic and military power, the land, labor, resources, finances, and politics of another country.
Patriarchy: a social system in which the father is the head of the family and men have authority over others.
Sexism: discrimination on the basis of sex, most often against women. The cultural, institutional, and individual set of beliefs and practices that privilege men, subordinate women, and denigrate values and practices associated with women.
Heterosexism: the individual, institutional, and societal/cultural beliefs and practices based on the belief that heterosexuality is the only normal and acceptable sexual orientation.
Homophobia: the fear, hatred or intolerance of lesbians and gay men, or any behavior that falls outside of traditional gender roles. Homophobic acts can range from name-calling to violence targeting gay people.
Sexual Orientation: the desire for intimate emotional and sexual relationships with people of the same gender (lesbian, gay), the other gender (heterosexual), or either gender (bisexual).
Gender: the condition of being female or male.
Gender Identity: one’s psychological sense of oneself as a male or as a female.
Gender Role: the socially constructed and culturally specific behavior and expectations for women (femininity) and men (masculinity).
Ageism: discrimination on the basis of age, especially prejudice against people who are perceived as being elderly.
Ableism: system of discrimination against persons who have a physical, emotional, or mental disability.