Enhancing Knowledge About Race And Ethnicity Through Essay.

The purpose of this assignment is to enhance students’ knowledge about the diversity of race and ethnicity as well as its relationship with the social and cultural aspects.

The understanding on concept of race and ethnicity in social cultural relations is one of the major elements to generate good citizens in a multicultural country. These understandings are crucial to assist individuals to understand about their local environment.

i.Explain the concept of race and ethnicity.

ii.Discuss the concept of ethnicity in social cultural relations.

iii.Analyse the causes of racism and ethnocentrism, which may lead to disagreements and give your suggestions to avoid these conflicts from happening.

Concept of race and ethnicity

The following report is a succinct illustration of sociological prowess of racial and ethnic practices in different countries, specifically in Malaysia. Social cohesion in terms of religion, ethnicity and race is a phenomenal change in the era of globalisation and multiculturalism (Rivera, 2016). Cohesive practices are often related to social assimilation such as cognitive practices by participating in different socio-cultural events and festivals. Global countries like USA, South Africa, Australia and others are the gate ways for people across the world to find jobs and educational facilities (Macedo & Gounari, 2015). However, the immigrants often face hindrances through the vicious blow of racism and ethnocentrism that has often affected ted adversely.

The report seeks the answer why such vicissitudes are found in the course of social progression. The 13 May Incident in Malaysia has experienced the fatal racial riot in the country causing death toll of more than two hundred people including children.  In order to ensure the configuration of sociological discipline, the sociologists have framed some resilient social structure denying the ethnical and racial differences. According to Social researcher Nasar Meer, there should be some “intersectional” commencements pertaining to the equity in race, gender, nationality and generation (Meer & Nayak, 2015).

One does not need to acquire erudition to understand the concept of race and ethnicity. To understand the concept of race and ethnicity, one needs to examine the relevant social practices, which are in vogue in his/ her society. Basically race is defined something as very much pertained to the physical attributes of an individual that is the colour of his skin, his eyes, the structure of his skull and so on.  Hence, nothing social is related to the race of an individual (Grosfoguel, Oso & Christou, 2015).

On the contrary, ethnicity is quite social.  The same cultural, lingual and ritual practices are often shared by people living together. This brings in a sense of social similarity among them. Such similar practices are called ethnicity.

The basic difference between race and ethnicity thus lies in this fact race is biological that has some social importance where as ethnicity is predominantly social. However, history has witnessed that these two concepts are often misdealt as racial entities have often been regarded as social criteria. The vital problem has been the skin colour. Ethnic pride has often been instigated by the understanding of racial similarities. It may not be out of context to remember a dialogue from the movie The Dictator. The satire film has a character of American chief security officer who confesses by saying that “anyone outside America is known as Arabs”. The Blacks from Africa were regarded as the “Sub- Saharans”. As a matter of fact, race has been an integrated social paradigm of an individual identity.  Such integration has given birth to the concept of disintegration in many societies.

Ethnicity in social cultural relations

The social value of race began with the Europeans having shifted to America. The social conflict between the Europeans and the Native Americans or the Australian Aborigines brought about a striking change among the understanding level between the European traders and the local tribes. The issue of white and non-white was parallel vehement n the European colonies established in the African continent. In America, the concept of race began with the question whether the black people brought- to be precise- purchased to America were human beings or animals (Cobas, Duany & Feagin, 2015). To them, white was the superior human race and the non- whites were of course the inferior- depending on the shades of darkness.

In the island of Malaysia, the oldest inhabitants were the Austronesia peoples. They had a typical racial quality which was somehow similar to the rest of the Mongolian race. During the Kingdom of Srivijay, the Malay race developed and formed the present land of Malaysia.  However, the present day Malaysia is actually a cohesive nation allowing different people from the world to visit and settle in the country. This notion of cohesiveness developed after a long struggle of the Malay people during the period of colonisation. European intervention in the social level brought forth the idea of racial discrimination during the twentieth century although the nation after its independence and continuous industrial growth has moved past this social complexity.   

As it has previously been stated that ethnicity is much social a concept than race is. People of same language and cultural background find ethnic similarities among themselves. Malaysia is ethnically a strong country where the native people are still engrossed with their own culture and language yet showing respect towards the ethnic groups. Global countries like USA have a vast ethnic collection with the Afro- Americans, the Indians, the Spanish, the French and other cultures living together. Ethnicity is strongly noticed in the diversified countries like India. The people, there, are Indians, however having different ethnic backgrounds. They have distinguished each other with different phenotypic elements.

Post industrialisation period in Malaysia has found companies conceiving different ethnic groups working together. Predominant ethnic groups working in the Malaysian organisations are the Chinese, the India and the Malays. Unification is vividly noticed in the country while the government has focused on developing the country into an economically strong nation. Time has passed and the Malaysians believe in work-factor that can only be achieved through the unification of workforce.  There are different sub ethnic groups namely Jawa, Bugis, Iban and many more.

Causes of racism and ethnocentrism and suggestions to avoid conflicts

Hybridism and globalisation has changed the face of the socio cultural mode of dealing with different ethnic people. Since globalisation has affected the core concept of ethnicity, a positive assimilation is highly noticed around the world. Crossbreed-culture has broken the narrow wall between different ethnic groups working together in different countries.  It has hugely affected the cultural relevance of the core ethnic groups. Eminem’s adaptation of the rap music despite being a white is the greatest example of cultural cohesion. In music jazz and rap has been transcended the concept of ethnic and racial captivity. Use of harps in the India n and Chinese music or the use of Asian percussions European context is an exemplary paradigm of ethnic unity. Ethnocentrism narrows down the global idea of culture; on the contrary ethnic cohesion broadens the path of assimilation. Followings are the kinds of race and ethnic relations:

1. Assimilation
2. Pluralism

1. Continued subjugation
2. Extermination
3. Population Transfer

Despite sounding fair, assimilation is involved into making f social class. The process allows the inferior ethnic classes merge with the superior or the majority groups thereby adapting the culture and civilisation of the latter.

As a matter of pride, the minority ethnic groups do not allow themselves to be inspired by the cultural values and importance of the majority ones in order to save their own socio cultural identity. On the contrary, the majority ethnic group allows the minority one to restrain their existing culture in order to maintain a social unification. Malaysia has been witnessing the concept of pluralism throughout the years where the other ethnic groups have restrained their own culture in the country. Chinese and Indian cultures and rituals are rampantly practised in Malaysia.

There are many countries where the rights of the minorities are legally valued and protected. They are legally treated as their own compatriots. This initiative was first taken through the intervention of Abraham Lincoln with the abolition of slavery during the nineteenth century in America. India has several stringent laws to protect the rights of the minorities. In Malaysia, Minority Corporate Law 8 initiates to validate the presence of the minor ethnic groups in the country’s corporate sector (Islam, Jasimuddin, & Hasan, 2015).  

In this case, the majority ethnic groups try to segregate the ethnic cultures by physical forces. English speaking people in the United States remain culturally different from the non- English speaking people. They deliberately stay away from the “Others”. The Portuguese people on France are segregated from the French speaking populace. On the contrary, Malaysia has proved to be an ultimate cohesive nation in terms of social relation.

Sociological prowess of racial and ethnic practices in different countries

Extermination is a form of genocide whereby the minority ethnic groups fall victim through the deliberate outbreak of contagious diseases. Such heinous approach was practised during the beginning of the 20^th century in the African countries.

Continuous conflict among the ethnic and racial groups often becomes vehement and fatal. Such vehement conflict may compel the government or the situation to transfer the minority or the most affected groups to a safe place.  The Race violence in Malaysia drew the same situation during the 1980s.

The term ‘racism’ refers to inequity against the people who possess different cultures, different values and who are from different background. Racism emerges from the assumptions that own race is superior to others (Lentin, A. (2016). Racism in public or public racism: doing anti-racism in ‘post-racial’times. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 39(1), 33-48.). According to some report, an attitude or action that subordinates any person or a group due to their skin color and culture is known as racism. Racism is considered as an ideology of the racial domination. Racism has two forms:-racial discrimination (culture, value, background) and racial inequality (income, education, health). There are two other segments of Racism:

• Individual Racism: In Individual Racism, an individual racist acts against another individual, such as- employer not hiring a particular person or putting extra work pressure on him.
• Institutional Racism: Racism practiced by a social group, is called Institutional Racism, e.g. college administration’s poor behavior towards any student.

‘Ethnocentrism’ is defined as a view through which a person assumes that his or her culture is greater to anyone else. The term was first coined by American Sociologist William Graham Summer. Ethno is a Greek word that signifies people or any cultural group. On other hand, centric is a Latin word that refers to course to the centre. The word Ethnocentrism indicates comparison of other cultures with one’s own culture. Ethnocentrism is often evident in every society. It is learnt by almost everyone while growing up. Ethnocentrism is referred as innate tendency of human nature (Spencer, 2014).

There are several reasons of racial practices.  In many countries, the minority groups manage to enjoy better and more number of resources such as economic and political power, employment and exemption (McGarry & O'leary, 2013). In the United States, the immigrants from Asia and Africa were found to have qualified more number of jobs causing unemployment to the greater number of American (Yanow, 2015). It has caused agitations among them leading into brutal racist practices.

The other criterion of racist practice has been the social discrimination in the countries practised by the dominant groups(Bhattacharyya, G., Gabriel, J., & Small, S. (2016). Race and Power: Global Racism in the Twenty First Century. Routledge.). During the 1950s, continuous hatred to the black Peoples in USA and the United Kingdom has fuelled the racist practices.  In the later years, the Black people began to involve in criminal activities as if they were avenging the mode of discrimination (Maison & Maliszewski, 2016). In Vietnam, the Chinese intervention caused the same agitation.

History of social value of race

Unequal distribution of power may cause ethnic and racist brutality. People living in a country over a decade start believing themselves as the legitimate citizens of that country. Indian Sikhs in South Hall in England became more an English citizen than an Indian one. However, the Native Englishmen would never consider thme as the resident of Great Britain. Schools and colleges are often found to be practicing racism against the minority groups. There were separate schools for the Blacks and the Whites in the United States and the United Kingdom. Starting years of the twenty first century experienced fatal racism on the the Indian students in Australia where the colleges were filled by more number of Indian stdents than that of the Australian ones (Forrest, Elias & Paradies, 2016). Later years found the college authorities restricting the outsiders from taking admissions in the colleges despite scoring better marks. Such indiscriminate behaviour of the institutions causes racist activities in the countries (Hitchcock et al., 2016). However, some stringent laws have been enacted to stop the practice of racism.

Poor economic policies of the Malaysian government have raised tensions among different ethnic groups in Malaysia. The majority Malay groups and the Bumiputeras are facilitated by the government policies specifically in terms of property, housing, medical and education. Being a predominant Islamic country there have been several issues related to religious conflicts between the working Chinese and the Malays (Ketab et al., 2016).  However, the government is still trying to manage the growing tension between the ethnic groups.

Intra-racial solidarity always has a positive impact upon a particular racial or ethnic group. In case of productive unity, the sense of unification mobilises same ethnic people to strengthen the bond within them. Pride on one’s self ethnicity does not adversely affect since it is utilised as a driving force of better work and harmonious economic production. Jennifer Helzer in her paper, “Building Communities- Economics and Ethnicity” talks about the Spanish influx and settlement on Californian land that resulted in forming a civilized nation and one of the most important economic powers of the world. The togetherness of the ethnic group is truly helpful in strengthening an economy of a country (Helzer, 2015).

In case of Malaysia, the majority ethnic group of the country, the Malays have the largest contribution upon tobacco industry. Since most of the tobacco companies in the country are funded and sponsored by the Government of Malaysia, there is a huge scope of development in the industry (Barraclough & Morrow, 2016). The Malays are found to have been the largest consumers of tobacco products, thus encouraging the companies to increase their production for the market sake.     

Ethnicity in Malaysia

Conclusion:

Ethnocentrism and racism is a major problem in today’s world whereby the world is moving towards globalisation. Economic and industrial boom in different countries have caused cohesive demography in the social as well as the corporate aspect. Recent US policies pertaining to the H1 Visa has created ethnic and racist unrest in the country. Malaysia, on the other hand, has been working hard on the corporate assimilation because of growing number of the immigrants working together in the organisations. Ethnocentrism is not a negative concept as it begets a sense of pride for a particular ethnic group. It may be used a strength to positive workforce, but ethnocentrism should never cause harm to the other ethnic groups.

Since the world is moving towards a new concept of togetherness, the feeling of other should be eliminated from its grass root level. It has been noticed that the Malays in the twenty first century Malaysia share same DNA with the Chinese.  Inter-racial marriages have strengthened the bonding among the races. Most of the academic institutes in US are filled with students belonging to different groups. There are students from different Asian, African and European countries studying together. Malaysia has emerged as one of the most cohesive nations in the world. There are hopes and strength of such cohesiveness.

Reference:

Barraclough, S., & Morrow, M. (2016). Tobacco and the Malays: ethnicity, health and the political economy of tobacco in Malaysia. Ethnicity & Health, 1-15.

Cobas, J. A., Duany, J., & Feagin, J. R. (2015). How the United States racializes Latinos: White hegemony and its consequences. Routledge.

Forrest, J., Elias, A., & Paradies, Y. (2016). Perspectives on the geography of intolerance: Racist attitudes and experience of racism in Melbourne, Australia. Geoforum, 70, 51-59.

Grosfoguel, R., Oso, L., & Christou, A. (2015). ‘Racism’, intersectionality and migration studies: framing some theoretical reflections. Identities, 22(6), 635-652.

Helzer, J. (2015). Building Communities–Economics & Ethnicity

Hitchcock, J., Smuts, M., Alon, S., & Gabriel, S. P. (2016). The Big Question Is Affirmative Action Necessary to Overcome Institutional Racism?. World Policy Journal, 33(1), 1-4.

 Islam, M. Z., Jasimuddin, S. M., & Hasan, I. (2015). Organizational culture, structure, technology infrastructure and knowledge sharing: Empirical evidence from MNCs based in Malaysia. Vine, 45(1), 67-88.

Ketab, S. M. G., Tamam, E., Bolong, J., & Sharif, S. P. (2015). Impact of ethnocentrism on interethnic interactions among local students in Malaysian universities. Taylor's Business Review, 5(1), 11-30.

Lentin, A. (2016). Racism in public or public racism: doing anti-racism in ‘post-racial’times. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 39(1), 33-48.

 Macedo, D., & Gounari, P. (2015). Globalization of racism. Routledge.

Maison, D., & Maliszewski, N. (2016). “Worse but Ours,” or “Better but Theirs?”–The Role of Implicit Consumer Ethnocentrism (ICE) in Product Preference. Frontiers in Psychology, 7.

McGarry, J., & O'leary, B. (2013). The politics of ethnic conflict regulation: Case studies of protracted ethnic conflicts. Routledge.

Meer, N., & Nayak, A. (2015). Race ends where? Race, racism and contemporary sociology. Sociology, 49(6), NP3-NP20.

Rivera, C. (2016). Diasporic Anglo-Indians in Australia, Canada, New Zealand And The UK: A Review of The Scholarly Literature. International Journal of Anglo-Indian Studies, 16(2).

Spencer, S. (2014). Race and ethnicity: Culture, identity and representation. Routledge.

Yanow, D. (2015). Constructing" race" and" ethnicity" in America: Category-making in Public Policy and Administration. Routledge.