Racism Vs. Intersectional Feminism

These were some of my favorite readings so far that we had been required to read through. They were very enlightening and provided many great perspectives and stories from white and minority people alike. The three readings I enjoyed the most are Defining Racism: “Can We Talk?” by Beverly Daniel Tatum, Color-Blind Racism by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, and Smells Like Racism by Rita Chaudhry Sethi.

Shield (2008) states that intersectionality refers to the general notion that social identities serve as organizing features of social relations, and mutually constitute, reinforce, and naturalize one another.

Racism is one of the most controversial social topics in the world today even in the 21st Century. As the term has been associated through the centuries for negative connotations such as discrimination, prejudice and even violence, racism remains to be a volatile issue affecting millions of lives today. The definition of racism is based on the belief that a particular race based on physical genetic features is more dominant than another. The one that views that his or her ethnicity possesses human traits and capacities that are inherently superior compared to another is an exhibition of racist behavior. This belief becomes the basis for particular ethnic groups to discriminate on others that can be seen through institutional

Source: Boundless. “The Functionalist Perspective.” Boundless Sociology. Boundless, 26 May. 2016. Retrieved 13 Jun. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/race-and-ethnicity-10/sociological-perspectives-on-race-and-ethnicity-83/the-functionalist-perspective-484-6546/

The study of racism has a profound potential to become an ambiguous sociological endeavor. Incidentally, accounting for the multitude of factors which encompass this subject appear to make it the very heart of the matter and consequently the most time consuming. Although, it is my belief that all three of the main sociological theories (Functionalism, Conflict Theory and Symbolic Interactionism) should be integrated in order to achieve a legitimate and quantifiable outcome, for obvious reasons the “Conflict Theory” logically renders the best possible method to obtain a valid micro analysis of specific agents in this case. The oxford dictionary defines racism as being:

Racism can be defined as prejudice, discrimination, or contributions to a system that perpetuates the idea that one race is inferior to another. Racism was heavily enforced throughout American history, specifically in the early 1900’s. Coincidentally, this was the same time feminists, or women’s-rights activists, were in the in the midst of their fight for equality. Feminism is the theory that women should be treated equally to men in terms of social, political, and economic matters. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses the protagonist, Janie, to convey both concepts through her journey to self-love and acceptance. Due to Janie’s realization of the racial caste system and the structural misogyny in society, the focuses of

Racism has been a big epidemic since the early 1600’s and is still a problem throughout society today. According to Dictionary.com, racism is a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others. The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. Boyle exemplifies racism and discrimination by the dividing of communities from the impoverished minorities and the superior majority. Boyle reveals how more fortunate people stereotype the way minorities and poverty live rather than acknowledging

There is typically greater variation within a racial population than there is between racial populations*

First of all, sexism is an unfair treatment of people because of their sex, especially an unfair treatment of women. “There are the concept of discrimination or prejudice build upon sexual which against women.” ("Sexism." Merriam-Webster). “Sexism also can be a belief that one sex is superior to or more valuable than another sex.” ("Sexism | Sociology." Encyclopedia Britannica). “ In the previous year, men is the over-control figure to rule women that is the domination.” (Phoenix, "Sexism in Todays Society.").

Racism is the belief or idea of superiority of one race over another, often resulting in discrimination and/or prejudice towards people of the race. The ideology underlying racist practices often includes the idea that humans can be divided into distinct groups that are different due to their social behavior and their innate capacities as well as the idea that they can be ranked as inferior or superior. Since the late 20th century the notion of biological race has been recognized as a cultural invention, entirely without scientific basis.

“ According to the National Association of Social Workers Web site, racism is “the ideology or practice through demonstrated power or perceived superiority of one group over others by reasons of race, color, ethnicity, or cultural heritage....” The definition further goes on to note that “racism is manifested at the individual, group, and institutional level.” (Blank, 2013)

Racism like other sociological concepts has existed throughout human’s history. It is defined as the conviction that a particular race is superior to the other according to their moral and social characteristics. This term is often negatively viewed, especially in terms of morals; therefore, if somebody appears to be a racist, he or she is described as unworthy or immoral. The believe that passage of civil rights legislation did away with racially discriminatory practices has made most white Americans and African Americans to lack recognition that racism exists.

In 1990, feminist and sociologist Patricia Hill Collins developed her theory of intersectionality. Intersection theory proposes that the effects of gender, race, class, and sexual orientation, among other characteristics, can not be separated in order to be fully understood (OpenStax College 239). African-American women especially have had difficulty in addressing the social problems they faced, having been left disenfranchised or outright excluded from both a patriarchal civil rights movement and overlooked by mainstream feminist movements. While the black feminist movement, and later womanism, gained traction in the second half of the twentieth century and continues to this day, issues related to intersectionality have been a key issue for

The definition of racism is the belief that all members of each race have characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to other races. According to a stop racism website Racism has been around for centuries and is still very much alive today.

Young America may be the last place one would think to find a group with undertones of misogyny and white supremacy in their social interactions, especially if said group was an approved organization at an elite 4-year institution. However, the racism and sexism rampant amongst Greek social fraternities would prove otherwise. Women are often degraded, and in many cases, abused, at the hands of these organizations, with women of color receiving a particularly dehumanizing form of treatment. Of course, many conclude that the treatment of women of color by such organizations is the same as the treatment of white women because of their gender commonality. However, race and sex tend to be measured separately in the minds