Chapter Five Identity: Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Vocabulary

Meghan Wulff 1
st
10.20.14
1. Gender-social differences between men and women, rather than the anatomical, biological
differences between the sexes. Notions of gender differences - that is, what is considered
"feminine" or "masculine" - vary greatly over time and space
Gender are social differences not anatomical or biological.
2. Identity-defined by geography Gillian Rose as "how we make sense of ourselves;" how people see
themselves at different scales
Identity is established by the individual.
3. Identifying against-constructing an identity by first defining the "other" and then defining ourselves
as "not the other
We identify against by identifying other people first.
4. Race-a categorization of humans based on skin color and other physical characteristics. Racial
categories are social and political construction because they are based on ideas that some biological
differences (esp. skin color) are more important than others (e.g. height, etc.), even though the later
might have more significance in terms of human activity. With its roots in 16th century England, the
term is closely associated with European colonialism because of the impact of the development on
global understandings of racial differences
Race is a category based on skin color and other PHYSICAL characteristics.
5. Racism-frequently referred to as a system or attitude toward visible differences in individuals,
racism is an ideology of differences that ascribes (predominately negative) significance and meaning
to culturally, socially, and politically constructed ideas based on phenotypical feature
Racism is an ideology.
6. Residential segregation-defined by geographers Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton as the degree to
which two or more groups live separately from one another, in different parts of an urban
environment.
Residential segregation happens even in small urban areas.
7. Invasion and Succession-process by which new immigrants to a city move to and dominate or take
over areas or neighborhoods occupied by older immigrant groups
Invasion and succession happens when new immigrants move into and take over areas occupied
by older immigrant groups.
8. Sense of Place-state of mind derived through the infusion of a place with meaning and emotion by
remembering important events that occurred in that place or by labeling a place with a certain
character
Sense of place is a place infused with meaning and emotion.
9. Ethnicity-affiliation or identity within a group of people bound by common ancestry and culture.
Ethnicity is an affiliation within a group.
10. Space-defined by Doreen Massey and Pat Jess as "social relations stretched out"
Space is a theme of geography.
11. Place-theme of geography; uniqueness of a location
Place is another theme of geography.
12. Gendered-in terms of place, whether the place is designed for or claimed by men or women
Gendered is when a place is designed for men or women.
13. Queer Theory-theory defined by geographers Glen Elder, Lawrence Knopp, and Heidi Nast that
highlights the contextual nature of opposition to the heteronormative and focuses on the political
engagement of "queers" with the heteronormative.
Queer theory is defined by geographers.
14. Dowry Deaths-in the context of arranged marriages in India, disputes over the price to be paid by
the family of the bride to the father of the groom (the dowry) have, in some extreme cases, led to
the death of the bride.
Dowry deaths are deaths, of the bride, caused by disputes over the price.
15. Barrioization-defined by geographer James Curtis as the dramatic increase in Hispanic population in
a given neighborhood; referring to barrio, the Spanish word for neighborhood.
Barrioization is a rapid increase in the Hispanic population in a given neighborhood.































Chapter Five Identity: Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Outline
I. Field Note: Building Walls
a) Women and young boys scoop wet mud from a quarry by a creek into wheelbarrows,
and then pour it into wooden forms.
b) The women and boys work ten hour days, six days a week, and turning, stacking, and
restacking bricks, to prevent cracks. (.45/hour)
c) Between Bali and the US, the major difference, besides technology, is the labor.
d) Different societies and cultures have different ideas of what jobs are for men and what
jobs are for men.
e) Bali= peripheral country (maker)
f) In periphery countries, women migrate from rural to urban to earn wages.
II. What is Identity, and how is it constructed?
a) Identities are marketed through cars, clothing, memberships, jewelry, and houses.
b) In addition to defining ourselves, we also define others and others define us.
A. RACE
1) Race is a constructed identity and is a perfect example of how identities are built.
2) Throughout history, humans have drawn distinctions among people based on
physical characteristics
3) What a society typically calls a race is a combination of physical attributes in a
population
4) Skin color is not a reliable indicator of genetic closeness.
B. RACISM IN THE US
1) Unlike a local culture or an ethnicity to which we may choose to belong, a race is
more often assigned.
2) Definitions of races in the US have historically focused on dividing the country
into white and nonwhite
3) Through migration and through differences in fertility rates among peoples in the
US, the country is becoming increasingly nonwhite
C. RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION
1) Historically, states, cities and towns passed laws outlining residential
segregation, disallowing the migration of certain racial groups into
neighborhoods.
2) Residential segregation-defined by geographers Douglas Massey and Nancy
Denton as the degree to which two or more groups live separately from one
another, in different parts of an urban environment.
3) Five measurements of segregation : evenness, exposure, concentrated,
centralized and clustered
4) Residential segregation in ALL five measures have gone down for African
Americans (1980-2000)
5) When using an average of all 5 measures of segregation, the most residentially
segregated metropolitan area for American Indians and Alaskan Natives is
Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona, and the least is Oklahoma City.
6) Grouping Asians, Natives Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders, the researchers
reported 30 metropolitan areas that have at least 3 percent who fit one of these
identities.
7) Baltimore is the least residentially segregated city for Hispanics/Latinos
D. IDENTITIES ACROSS SCALES
1) The way we make sense of ourselves in this globalized world is complex
2) We have different identities at different scales.
E. THE SCALE OF NEW YORK CITY
1) NYC has the greatest number and diversity of immigrants than any other city in
the US
2) Invasion and Succession-process by which new immigrants to a city move to and
dominate or take over areas or neighborhoods occupied by older immigrant
groups
3) Spanish Harlem
III. How do places affect identity, and how can we see identities in
Places?
a) Sense of Place-state of mind derived through the infusion of a place with meaning and
emotion by remembering important events that occurred in that place or by labeling a
place with a certain character
A. ETHNICITY AND PLACE
1) Ethnicity is a great example of how identities affect scales, and how scales affect
identities
2) The concept of ethnicity is not simple
3) Ethnic identity is greatly affected by scale and place
4) Ethnicity is often invoked by cultural groups when race cannot explain differences
and antagonism between groups.
5) Ethnicity is also invoked when a distinct when a distinct cultural group is
clustered in one area
i. Chinatown in Mexicali
The border region between the US and Mexico is generally seen as a
cultural meeting point between Hispanic Mexicans and Anglo-Americans
The town of Mexicali is the capital of the state Baja California(located in
Mexico, just south of the state of California in the US)
The Chinese of Mexicali were prominent players in the social and
economic life of the city in the 20
th
century.
Mexicalis Chinatown is experiencing a transformation, as Chinese
residents have dispersed to the edges of the city and beyond.
B. IDENTITY AND SPACE
1) Space-defined by Doreen Massey and Pat Jess as "social relations stretched
out"
2) Place-theme of geography; uniqueness of a location
3) Gendered-in terms of place, whether the place is designed for or claimed by men
or women
i. Sexuality and place
Sexuality is a part of humanity
Queer Theory-theory defined by geographers Glen Elder, Lawrence
Knopp, and Heidi Nast that highlights the contextual nature of opposition to
the heteronormative and focuses on the political engagement of "queers"
with the heteronormative

IV. How do power relationships subjugate certain groups of people?
a) Power relationships(assumptions and structures about who is in control, who has
power over others) affect identities directly, and power relationships also affect cultural
landscape- determining what is and isnt seen
b) Power relationships do more than shape the cultural landscape
A. JUST WHO COUNTS?
1) The statistics governments collect and report reflect the power relationships
involved in defining what is valued and what is not
2) The most commonly used statistics on productivity , gross national income,
doesnt evaluate the work in the home
3) Scholars estimate that if womens work in the house was added into the NGI is
would increase by 1/3.
4) Despite these conditions, the number of women in the work force is rising.
5) In most of Asia(over 50%) and virtually all of Africa(nearly 80%), the great
majority of wage-earning women are working in agriculture
B. WOMEN IN SUBSAHARAN AFRICA
1) Migration flows, birth rates, and child mortality rates affect the gender
composition of cities, states, and regions.
2) Much of Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in rural areas, is dominated
numerically by women.
3) Even though a woman in this position becomes the head of the house, when
she goes to the bank for a loan she is likely refused.
4) Young girls soon become trapped in the cycle of female poverty and overwork.
C. DOWRY DEATHS IN INDIA
1) Dowry Deaths-in the context of arranged marriages in India, disputes over the
price to be paid by the family of the bride to the father of the groom (the dowry)
have, in some extreme cases, led to the death of the bride.
2) The bride may be brutally punished(often burned) or killed for her fathers
failure to fulfill the marriage agreement
3) The power relationships that set women below men in India cannot be
legislated away.
4) Recognizing that movement away from arranged marriages and dowries
among the Indian population is slow in coming.
5) Unfortunately, not all women in India (or in many places) feel empowered
enough to stand up.