Ethnic inequality - Cultural explanations

Question 1

What are a great deal of prejudice the result of?

Answer 1

faulty stereotypes and a lack of accurate knowledge about the true nature of black people.

Question 2

What did Trevor Philips argue about race and reality TV?

Answer 2

reality TV has done more for racial understanding than any other media creation. It has given many British people a more varied view of what Asian and Black people are like.

Question 3

What do cultural explanations suggest about ethnic inequalities?

Answer 3

That a great deal of racial disadvantage can be explained in terms of the cultural origins and values of ethnic minorities.

Question 4

How is culture relevant to ethnic inequalities?

Answer 4

· Some ethnic minority groups may have language problems which reduce their chances of finding employment in Britain.
· Some patterns of disadvantage may stem from the cultural choices of ethnic groups. (living locations, Dahya)
· The cultural tendencies of certain ethnic groups may help to account for their economic activity rates
· Research suggests there is ethnic diversity both in education and in the workplace. Some groups seem to be more entrepreneurial than others.

Question 5

What did Roberts (2001) say about economic differences between ethnicities?

Answer 5

• cultural explanations of economic differences are plausible.
  · Asian immigrants brought strong entrepreneurial traditions with them and these soon fund expression in the establishment of ethnic businesses.
  · But it can be argued that there is an ‘anti-enterprise’ attitude among African-Caribbean groups, which may be down to their bitter experience of slavery.

Question 6

Cashmore (1991) on ethnic inequalities

Answer 6

He reports that successful black entrepreneurs are often treated with suspicion in Britain (e.g. the Black community may accuse them of selling out or adopting white values)

Question 7

Sewell (1997) on ethnic inequalities

Answer 7

he attacked the notion that you can only be an ‘authentic’ black person if you are ‘street-wise’. This attitude discourages young black men from studying hard and developing careers or businesses.

Question 8

What are the evaluating points regarding cultural explanations?

Answer 8

• Few sociologists would deny that culture has some impact on peoples ambitions and achievements.
• But culture is not necessarily the main reason for racial disadvantage, even if it cannot be ignored entirely, this is therefore a criticism.
• Some cultural explanations can be criticised for ‘blaming the victim’ and for the fallacy of ‘ethnic absolutism’

Question 9

What is a positive point about cultural explanations of ethnic inequalities?

Answer 9

it treats ethnic minorities respectfully as active agents who have their own values, priorities and goals.

Question 10

How can cultural explanations end up blaming the victim?

Answer 10

If treating ethnic minorities as active agents with their own values and goals is taken to far it can lead to the inflexible attitude that they are totally to blame.

Question 11

What model did Patterson (1965) look at?

Answer 11

The Host-Immigrant model

Question 12

What did the host-immigrant model stress?

Answer 12

The importance of culture

Question 13

How did the Host-Immigrant model depict Britain?

Answer 13

As a stable, orderly society with a high degree of consensus over norms and values which was disturbed by the arrival of immigrant ‘strangers’ who had different values causing a culture clash

Question 14

How did the Host-Immigrant model interpret the culture clash?

Answer 14

In terms of understandable fears and anxieties on the part of the host community.
The hosts were not racists, just unsure about how to act towards the newcomers. Their confusion sometimes spilled over into suspicion and resentment because migrants competed with hosts for jobs and housed.

Question 15

How did Patterson (1965) view the Host-immigrant situation?

Answer 15

• For Patterson the main problem was not so much racism or black-white hostility but cultural ‘strangeness’.
  · She was reasonably optimistic about the long term prospects for racial harmony.
  · She thought Britain’s black migrants would eventually move toward full cultural assimilation by shedding their old ethnic values and taking on the values of the host society.

Question 16

What are the criticisms of the Host-Immigrant model?

Answer 16

• The Host-Immigrant Model focuses so much on culture that it tends to end up ‘blaming the victim’ or scapegoating them by attributing the difficulties of ethnic groups to their strange’ cultures.
• Racial hostility has not declined as predicted by Patterson. The basic structure of British society remains unchanged and the struggle over jobs, housing and money continues. This may create racial tension
• Patterson underestimated the persistence and validity of ethnic-minority cultures.