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258 CHAPTER 9 Race and Ethnicity

the same political entity and discriminates
against them. For example, in 1848, after
defeating Mexico in war, the United States
took over the Southwest. The Mexicans liv-
ing there, who had been the dominant group
prior to the war, were transformed into a
minority group, a master status that has
influenced their lives ever since. Referring
to his ancestors, one Latino said, “We didn’t
move across the border—the border moved
across us.”
A second way in which a group becomes a
minority is by migration. This can be volun-
tary, as with the Mexicans and South Ameri-
cans who have chosen to move to the United
States, or involuntary, as with the Africans who
were brought in chains to the United States.
(The way females became a minority group
represents a third way, but, as discussed in the
previous chapter, no one knows just how this
Assumptions of race-ethnicity can occurred.)
have unusual consequences. In this
photo, Ethiopian Jews in Gondar,
Ethiopia, are checking to see if they Ethnic Work: Constructing Our Racial–Ethnic Identity
have been given a date to immigrate
to Israel. Because Ethiopian Jews Some of us have a greater sense of ethnicity than others, and we feel firm boundaries
look so different from other Jews, it between “us” and “them.” Others of us have assimilated so extensively into the main-
took Israeli authorities several years to stream culture that we are only vaguely aware of our ethnic origins. With interethnic
acknowledge that the Ethiopian Jews marriage common, some do not even know the countries from which their families origi-
were “real Jews” and allow them to
immigrate. nated—nor do they care. If asked to identify themselves ethnically, they respond with
something like “I’m Heinz 57—German and Irish, with a little Italian and French thrown
in—and I think someone said something about being one-sixteenth Indian, too.”
ethnic work activities designed Why do some people feel an intense sense of ethnic identity, while others feel
to discover, enhance, maintain, or hardly any? Figure 9.1 portrays four factors, identified by sociologist Ashley Doane,
transmit an ethnic or racial identity
that heighten or reduce our sense of ethnic identity. From this figure, you can see
that the keys are relative size, power, appearance, and discrimination. If your group
is relatively small, has little power, looks different from most people in society, and
is an object of discrimination, you will have a heightened sense of ethnic identity. In
contrast, if you belong to the dominant group that holds most of the power, look
like most people in the society, and feel no discrimination, you are likely to experi-
ence a sense of “belonging”—and to wonder why ethnic identity is such a big deal.
We can use the term ethnic work to refer to the way
we construct our ethnicity. For people who have a strong
FIGURE 9.1 A Sense of Ethnicity ethnic identity, this term refers to how they enhance and
maintain their group’s distinctions—from clothing, food,
A Heightened Sense and language to religious practices and holidays. For
people whose ethnic identity is not as firm, it refers to
attempts to recover their ethnic heritage, such as trying to
A Low trace family lines or visiting the country or region of their
Sense family’s origin. As illustrated by the photo essay on the
next page, many Americans do ethnic work. This has con-
founded the experts, who thought that the United States
Part of the majority Smaller numbers
would be a melting pot, with most of its groups blending
Greater power Lesser power
into a sort of ethnic stew. Because so many Americans have
Similar to the Different from the
“national identity” “national identity” become fascinated with their “roots,” some analysts have
No discrimination Discrimination suggested that “tossed salad” is a more appropriate term
Source: By the author. Based on Doane 1997. than “melting pot.”