September 17, 2018
and …
ethnicity, race
internal categorization: self-identification by person/group of people
external categorization: identification of person/group of people by others
institutional use: the use of ethnic/racial categories by formal institutions to label people (not necessarily in a discriminatory manner)
institutional separation: the presence of distinct formal institutions for people labelled as members of different ethnic/racial categories (not necessarily unequal)
social closure: the use of ethnic/racial categories to separate or organize personal/informal interactions between people (not necessarily unequal)
power disparity: the use of ethnic/racial categories to discriminate in access to goods, services, rights, recognition (e.g. in institutional use, institutional separation, social closure) that enhances/restricts the life choices
legal examples: property rights, marriage/inheritance, education, government jobs, government services, elected representation, criminal law, affirmative action
other examples: housing discrimination, job discrimination, restricting spaces (e.g. private clubs, gated communities)
social closure: employer/employee relations; customer/client relations; formal/informal modes of address; non-reciprocity in forms of interaction
cultural differentiation: the use of ethnic/racial categories to differentiate cultural practices (food, clothing, traditions), language, and religious belief.
Note: Sometimes cultural difference is used to define category membership. Sometimes cultural difference is a way to use categories:
examples: choice of alphabet/spellings; changing vocabulary (Hindustani vs Urdu vs Hindi)
marking: using category labels for some groups as distinct from a "reference" or "unmarked" category that is the unspoken default (e.g. "white" as the unspoken default)
groupness: using category labels to proclaim or invoke the existence and unity of a group (parades, mass performances, history/schooling)
explain behavior: using ethnic/racial category labels to explain
exemption: use of ethnic/racial categories to claim or identify exemption:
Thinking about rules defining categories and practices using those categories…