A minority or subordinate group is a sociological group that does not constitute a politically dominant plurality of the total population of a given society. In Sociology, a group can be defined as two or more Humans that interact with one another accept expectations and obligations as members of the group and share a A sociological minority is not necessarily a numerical minority — it may include any group that is disadvantaged with respect to a dominant group in terms of social status, education, employment, wealth and political power. In Sociology or Anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in Society (one's Social position) Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Wealth derives from the old English word "weal" which means "well-being Political power ( Imperium in Latin is a type of power held by a group in a Society which allows administration of some or all of To avoid confusion, some writers prefer the terms "subordinate group" and "dominant group" rather than "minority" and "majority", respectively.
In socioeconomics, the term "minority" typically refers to a socially subordination ethnic group (understood in terms of language, nationality, religion and/or culture). Socioeconomics or socio-economics is the study of the relationship between economic activity and Social life. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Other minority groups include people with disabilities, "economic minorities" (working poor or unemployed), "age minorities" (who are younger or older than a typical working age) and sexual minorities. Working poor is a term used to describe Individuals and families who maintain regular employment but remain in relative Poverty due to low levels of pay Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. A sexual minority is a group whose sexual identity, orientation or practices differ from the majority of the surrounding society
The term "minority group" often occurs alongside a discourse of civil rights and collective rights which gained prominence in the 20th century. Members of minority groups are prone to different treatment in the countries and societies in which they live. This discrimination may be directly based on an individual's perceived membership of a minority group, without consideration of that individual's personal achievement. Unlike most discrimination policies discrimination between, which is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences focused here discrimination against is It may also occur indirectly, due to social structures that are not equally accessible to all. Activists campaigning on a range of issues may use the language of minority rights, including student rights, consumer rights and animal rights. Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change The term minority rights embodies two separate concepts first normal individual Rights as applied to members of racial Ethnic, class religious linguistic or Student rights are those Rights which protect Students here meaning those persons attending Schools universities and other Educational institutions Consumer protection is a form of Government Regulation which protects the interests of Consumers For example a government may require businesses to disclose detailed "Animal liberation" redirects here for other uses see Animal liberation (disambiguation. In recent years, some members of social groups traditionally perceived as dominant have attempted to present themselves as an oppressed minority, such as white, middle-class heterosexual males. [1]
Studies have consistently shown a correlation between negative attitudes or prejudice toward minorities and social conservatism (as well as the converse, positive attitutes and social progressivism). The word prejudice refers to prejudgment making a decision before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case or event Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms the government's role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors in the belief that these are what Social progressivism is the view that social Mores, Human nature, and Morality are capable of progress through history in a manner similar to that of scientific [2] Persecuted minority groups in recent history include Jews under Nazi Germany and African Americans in the Jim Crow period. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enacted primarily but not exclusively in the Southern and border states of the United States between 1876 and 1965
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Sociology of minority groups
Sociologist Louis Wirth defined a minority group as "a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination. Louis Wirth ( August 28, 1897 – May 3, 1952) was an American sociologist and member of the Chicago school of sociology A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions "[3] This definition includes both objective and subjective criteria: membership of a minority group is objectively ascribed by society, based on an individual's physical or behavioral characteristics; it is also subjectively applied by its members, who may use their status as the basis of group identity or solidarity. Ascribed status is the Social status a person is given from birth or assumes involuntarily later in life Social Solidarity is the degree or type (see below of integration of a society In any case, minority group status is categorical in nature: an individual who exhibits the physical or behavioral characteristics of a given minority group will be accorded the status of that group and be subject to the same treatment as other members of that group.
Racial or ethnic minorities
Every large society contains ethnic minorities. They may be migrant, indigenous or landless nomadic communities. Human migration denotes any movement by Humans from one locality to another sometimes over long distances or The term Indigenous Peoples or autochthonous peoples can be used to describe any Ethnic group who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest historical Nomadic people, (from the νομάδες nomádes, "those who let pasture herds" also known as nomads, are communities of people that In some places, subordinate ethnic groups may constitute a numerical majority, such as Blacks in South Africa under apartheid. International criminal law can protect the rights of racial or ethnic minorities in a number of ways. [4] The right to self-determination is a key issue. Self-determination is defined as free choice of one’s own acts without external compulsion and especially as the freedom of the people of a given Territory to determine their
Religious minorities
Persons belonging to religious minorities have a faith which is different to that held by the majority. A minority religion is a Religion held by a minority of the population of a country state or region Most countries of the world have religious minorities. It is now widely accepted in the west that people should have the freedom to choose their own religion, including not having any religion (atheism or agnosticism), and including the right to convert from one religion to another. Atheism Agnosticism ( Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge after Gnosticism) is the philosophical view that the However in many countries this freedom is constricted. For example in Egypt, a new system of identity cards[5] requires all citizens to state their religion - and the only choices are Islam, Christianity or Judaism (See Egyptian identification card controversy). This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The Egyptian identification card controversy resulted from a ruling of the Supreme Administrative Council of Egypt on December 16, 2006 against the
A 2006 study suggests that atheists constitute a religious minority in the United States, with researchers concluding: "Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in 'sharing their vision of American society. Atheism ' Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry. "[6]
Gender and sexual minorities
While in most societies, numbers of men and women are roughly equal, the status of women as a "subordinate" group has led some to equate them with minorities. [7] In addition, various gender variant people can be seen as constituting a minority group or groups, such as intersexuals, transsexuals, and gender nonconformists — especially when such phenomena are understood as intrinsic characteristics of an identifiable group. Gender variance is a term that refers to those expressions of Gender ( Masculinity and Femininity) that do not conform to the dominant Gender norms Intersexuality is the state of a living thing of a gonochoristic species whose Sex chromosomes, Genitalia, and/or Secondary sex characteristics Transsexualism is a condition in which a person identifies with a physical Sex different from the one with which they were born
An understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as a minority group or groups has gained prominence in the Western world since the 19th century. A lesbian is a Woman who is romantically or sexually attracted only to other women In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Transgender (trænzˈdʒɛndɚ from ( Latin) derivatives The acronym LGBT is currently used to group these identities together. LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual The phrase sexual minorities can also be used to refer to these groups, and in addition may include fetishists, practitioners of BDSM, polyamorists and people who prefer sex partners of a disparate age. A sexual minority is a group whose sexual identity, orientation or practices differ from the majority of the surrounding society Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the Sexual attraction to materials and objects not conventionally viewed as being sexual in nature Polyamory (from Greek el πολυ meaning many or several and Latin la amor “love” is the desire practice or acceptance of having more than one Significant age disparity in sexual relationships has been and remains a feature of couples in many Cultures and societies. The term queer is sometimes understood as an umbrella term for all non-normative sexualities and gender expressions, but does not always seek to be understood as a minority; rather, as with many Gay Liberationists of the 1960s and '70s, it sometimes represents an attempt to uncover and embrace the sexual diversity in everyone. Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. Gay Liberation is the name used to describe the radical Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender movement of the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s
Age minorities
The elderly, while traditionally influential or even (in a gerontocracy) dominant in the past, have in the modern age usually been reduced to the minority role of economically 'non-active' groups. A gerontocracy is a form of oligarchical rule in which an entity is ruled by leaders who are significantly older than most of the adult population Children can also be understood as a minority group in these terms, and the discrimination faced by the young is known as adultism. Adultism is a predisposition towards Adults, which some see as biased against children youth and all young people who aren't addressed or viewed as adults Discrimination against the elderly is known as ageism. Ageism is Stereotyping and Prejudice against individuals or groups because of their age
Various local and international statutes are in place to mitigate the exploitation of children, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as a number of organizations that make up the children's rights movement. International human rights instruments can be classified into two categories declarations, adopted by bodies such as the United Nations General Assembly, which are The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, often referred to as CRC or UNCRC, is an international convention setting out the civil political The Children's rights movement is a historical and modern movement committed to the acknowledgment expansion and/or regression of the rights of Children around The youth rights movement campaigns for social empowerment for young people, and against the legal and social restrictions placed on legal minors. Youth rights refers to a set of philosophies intended to enhance Civil rights for young people. In law the term minor (also infant or infancy) is used to refer to a person who is under the age in which one legally assumes Adulthood and is legally Groups that advocate the interests of senior citizens range from the charitable (Help the Aged) to grass-roots activism (Gray Panthers), and often overlap with disability rights issues. Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the Average life span of Human beings and thus the end of the human life cycle. Established in 1961, Help the Aged is a United Kingdom based international charity fighting to free disadvantaged older people from poverty isolation Gray Panthers is an organization dedicated to economic and social justice which was founded by Maggie Kuhn in 1970 in response to her forced Retirement at age 65
Disabled minorities
The Disability rights movement has contributed to an understanding of disabled people as a minority or a coalition of minorities who are disadvantaged by society, not just as people who are disadvantaged by their impairments. The disability rights movement aims to improve the Quality of life of people with disabilities. Advocates of disability rights emphasise difference in physical or psychological functioning, rather than inferiority — for example, some people with autism argue for acceptance of neurodiversity, much as opponents of racism argue for acceptance of ethnic diversity. Language development. The terminology Neurodiversity is an idea that asserts that atypical (neurodivergent neurological development is a normal human difference that is to be tolerated and respected as any other List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that The deaf community is often regarded as a linguistic and cultural minority rather than a disabled group, and many deaf people do not see themselves as disabled at all. Deaf Culture is social group of people who consider Deafness to be a difference in human experience rather than a Disability. Rather, they are disadvantaged by technologies and social institutions that are designed to cater for the dominant group.
Minorities in law and government
In the politics of some countries, a minority is an ethnic group that is recognized as such by respective laws of its country and therefore has some rights that other groups lack. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions In Political geography and International politics, a country is a Political division of a geographical entity Speakers of a legally-recognized minority language, for instance, might have the right to education or communication with the government in their mother tongue. A minority language is a Language spoken by a Minority of the Population of a country Countries that have special provisions for minorities include China, Canada, Germany, India, Romania, Russia, and the United Kingdom (which does maintain the concept of a British supra-nation, however). China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
Differing minority groups often are not given identical treatment. Some groups are too small or too indistinct compared to the majority, that they either identify as part of the same nation as the members of the majority, or they identify as a separate nation but are ignored by the majority because of the costs or some other aspect of providing preferences. For example, a member of a particularly small ethnic group might be forced to check "Other" on a checklist of different backgrounds, and consequently might receive fewer privileges than a member of a more defined group.
Many contemporary governments prefer to assume the people they rule all belong to the same nationality rather than separate ones based on ethnicity. The United States asks for race and ethnicity on its official census forms, which thus breaks up and organizes its population into different sub-groups, but primarily on racial origin rather than national one. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Spain does not divide its nationals by ethnic group, although it does maintain an official notion of minority languages. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
Some minorities are so relatively large or historically or otherwise important that the system is set up in a way to guarantee them comprehensive protection and political representation. As an example, the former Yugoslav republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina recognizes the three main nations, none of which constitute a numerical majority, as constitutive nations, see nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered More than 95% of population of Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs to one of its three constitutive ethnic groups: Bosniaks, Serbs and However, other minorities such as Roma and Jews, are officially labelled as "others" and are excluded from many of these protections - for example they may not be elected to a range of high political positions including the presidency. The Romani people (singular Rom, plural Roma as a Noun; also known as Romanies or Roma people) are an ethnic group with origins PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ [8]
The issue of establishing minority groups, and determining the extent of privileges they might derive from their status, is controversial. There are some who argue that minorities are owed special recognition and rights, while others feel that minorities are unjustified in demanding special rights, as this amounts to preferential discrimination and could hamper the ability of the minority to integrate itself into mainstream society - perhaps to the point at which the minority follows a path to separatism or supremacism. Unlike most discrimination policies discrimination between, which is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences focused here discrimination against is Separatism refers to the advocacy of a state of cultural ethnic tribal religious racial or gender separation from the larger group often with demands for greater political autonomy Supremacism is the belief that a particular race, Religion, Gender, belief system or Culture is superior to others and entitles In Canada, some feel that the failure of the dominant English-speaking majority to integrate French Canadians has given rise to Quebec separatism. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The Quebec sovereignty movement ( Mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement aimed at either attaining independent statehood ( Sovereignty) or some
Affirmative action
One particularly controversial issue is affirmative action. Affirmative action in the United States|Employment equity (Canada|Reservation in India|Numerus clausus The term affirmative action describes many policies aimed at a historically Affirmative action in the United States|Employment equity (Canada|Reservation in India|Numerus clausus The term affirmative action describes many policies aimed at a historically This can be, for example, a government programme to provide immigrant or minority groups with extra teaching in the majority language, so that they are better able to compete for places at university or for jobs. These may be considered necessary because the minority group in question is socially disadvantaged. Another form of affirmative action is quotas, where a percentage of places at university, or in employment in public services, are set aside for minority groups. This is arguably not the most ideal form of affirmative action, as it can be perceived as minorities being granted special privileges that the majority does not enjoy. Affirmative action in the United States|Employment equity (Canada|Reservation in India|Numerus clausus The term affirmative action describes many policies aimed at a historically In its worst form it can lead to so-called positive discrimination - where for example an individual of minority status is given preference for a place at a university over a more or equally-qualified non-minority person. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects
See also
- Ethnic group
- Ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland
- Intangible Cultural Heritage
- List of minority political parties
- Majority
- Marginalization
- Minority religion
- Minority rights
- Minority Rights Group International
- Model minority
External links
- ECMI - European Centre for Minority Issues
- What is a Minority Group? definitions from Dayton Law School. A dominant minority, also known as alien elites if they are recent immigrants is a group that has overwhelming political, economic or Cultural Since its creation Northern Ireland has attracted immigrants from all over the world The notion of intangible cultural heritage (ICH emerged in the 90s as a counter part to the World Heritage that focusses mainly on tangible aspects of culture This is a list of Political parties of minorities. Austria: Enotna Lista Bolivia: Indigenous Pachakuti A majority, also known as a simple majority in the US, is a Subset of a group that is more than half of the entire group Marginalization is the social process of becoming or being made Marginal (to relegate or confine to a lower social standing or outer limit or edge as of social standing "the A minority religion is a Religion held by a minority of the population of a country state or region The term minority rights embodies two separate concepts first normal individual Rights as applied to members of racial Ethnic, class religious linguistic or Minority Rights Group International (MRG is an organisation founded with the objective of promoting respect for the Human rights of ethnic religious and linguistic Minorities Model minority refers to a Minority Ethnic, racial, or religious group whose members achieve a higher degree of Success
- From Paris to Cairo: Resistance of the Unacculturated
- Minorities at Risk project at the University of Maryland
- MINELRES - Minority Electronic Resources
- European Academy Bozen/Bolzano (EURAC)
- Eurominority - Stateless and national minorities portal
- State of the World's Minorities 2007, Report by Minority Rights Group International
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