Category Archives: Race and Ethnicity

An Introduction to Ethnicity

Posted on August 11, 2017 by

While the idea of race implies something fixed and biological, ethnicity is a source of identity which lies in society and culture. Ethnicity refers to a type of social identity related to ancestry (perceived or real) and cultural differences which … Continue reading →

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An Introduction to the Concept of ‘Race’ for Sociology Students

Posted on August 6, 2017 by

Race is one of the most complex concepts in sociology, not least because its supposedly ‘scientific’ basis has largely been rejected. However the term ‘race’ is still widely used and many people believe we can still divide the world into … Continue reading →

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Tony Sewell – explaining black boys’ underachievement

Posted on July 22, 2017 by

A few details of Sewell’s explanations for the relative underachievement of British Caribbean boys Against people like David Gilborn, he argues that it’s ¨not  teacher Racism! He says there are ¨Multiple causes – Mainly out of school – Lack of … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Race and Ethnicity | 1 Comment

Sociology in the News

Posted on February 25, 2017 by

This seems to be a clear-cut (and very unfortunate) example of overt discrimination on the basis of religion: On 16th February, Juhel Miah, a respected British Muslim schoolteacher travelling as part of a school trip to New York was denied entry … Continue reading →

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Racism in the British Criminal Justice System – Selected Evidence

Posted on November 23, 2016 by

Unfortunately, there is a considerable amount of evidence suggesting a long history of institutional racism within the Criminal Justice System. Below we are going to look at the short version, starting with the case study of Stephen Lawrence…    The … Continue reading →

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Left Realist Explanations for Ethnic Differences in Crime

Posted on November 14, 2016 by

Left Realists, Lea and Young suggest that ethnic minorities are disadvantaged in comparison with other groups in society, and this is especially true for young black males who have much higher levels of unemployment. In comparison with their peers from … Continue reading →

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Ethnicity and Crime: The Role of Cultural Factors

Posted on November 13, 2016 by

Some Sociologists have suggested that cultural differences, especially differences in family life, may be responsible for underlying differences in offending between ethnic groups. Single Parent Families are more common among African-Caribbean Families, which may be related to higher rates of crime … Continue reading →

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Official Statistics on Ethnicity and Crime

Posted on November 1, 2016 by

Unlike with social class, the home office does record explicit data based on the ethnic backgrounds of those stopped and searched, arrested and imprisoned. There are a lot of different official statistics on ethnicity and crime, reflecting the different stages … Continue reading →

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What is Racism?

Posted on October 31, 2016 by

The concept of Racism is central to understanding differentiation and inequality in society, and it is a fundamental key concept in sociology.  It is especially relevant to explaining differences in imprisonment rates and educational achievement, and (if you’re learning the … Continue reading →

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