Chapter 5

Question 1

What is “whiteness”?

Answer 1

More of a social construct than a defined race. A mix of just skin tone AND cultural norms. A japanese man might not be considered “white” despite his culture being very standard “american” purely for his appearance.

It means whatever the ruling white class wants it to mean. Noel Ignatiev wrote “Whiteness is nothing but an expression of race privilege”

Question 2

Religion’s impact on dividing race

Answer 2

Different religions are popular in different regions of the world, meaning the cultures of people who look different and are from different places might be vastly different between Hinduism and Catholicism.

Question 3

Religion’s impact on uniting race.

Answer 3

Some religions and religious ideas can also serve to bring people together, such as the concept of the “people of the book”

Question 4

Rediscovering Ethnicity

Answer 4

The process of finding and exploring the culture of your family line, even if it was annihilated by assimilation.

Question 5

The Third Generation Principle

Answer 5

Ethinicity is most often rediscovered on, or past, the third generation. “What the son wishes to forget, the grandson wishes to remember.”

Question 6

Ethnic Paradox

Answer 6

A contradiction of wanting to keep ones own beliefs, and assimilate into a society where they are not welcome.

Question 7

Symbolic Ethnicity

Answer 7

“ethnicity” without active involvement in ethnic activities. Purely eating “ethnic foods” and watering down cultural traditions to their most “american” form.

Question 8

History of germans in America

Answer 8

Germans were mostly treated as “White”, until world war 2, but afterwards quickly returned to normal.

Question 9

History of Irish in America

Answer 9

TBW

Question 10

History of Polish in America

Answer 10

TBW