词条 | minority |
释义 | minority sociology a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that coexists with but is subordinate to a more dominant group. As the term is used in the social sciences, this subordinancy is the chief defining characteristic of a minority group. As such, minority status does not necessarily correlate to population. In some cases one or more so-called minority groups may have a population many times the size of the dominating group, as was the case in South Africa under apartheid (c. 1950–91). The lack of significant distinguishing characteristics keeps certain groups from being classified as minorities. For instance, while Freemasons (Freemasonry) subscribe to some beliefs that are different from those of other groups, they lack external behaviours or other features that would distinguish them from the general population and thus cannot be considered a minority. Likewise, a group that is assembled for primarily economic reasons, such as a trade union, is seldom considered a minority. However, some minorities have, by custom or force, come to occupy distinctive economic niches in a society. Because they are socially separated or segregated (segregation, racial) from the dominant forces of a society, members of a minority group usually are cut off from a full involvement in the workings of the society and from an equal share in the society's rewards. Thus, the role of minority groups varies from society to society depending on the structure of the social system and the relative power of the minority group. For instance, the degree of social mobility of a member of a minority group depends on whether the society in which he lives is closed or open. A closed society is one in which an individual's role and function can theoretically never be changed, as in the traditional Hindu caste system. An open society, on the other hand, allows the individual to change his role and to benefit from corresponding changes in status. Unlike a closed society, which stresses hierarchical cooperation between social groups, an open society permits different social groups to vie for the same resources, so their relations are competitive. In an open society the rank that the individual attains for himself is more important than the ranking of his social group. pluralism occurs when one or more minority groups are accepted within the context of a larger society. The dominant forces in such societies typically opt for amity or tolerance for one of two reasons. On the one hand, the dominant majority may see no reason to rid themselves of the minority. On the other hand, there may be political, ideological, or moral impediments to the elimination of a minority, even if it is disliked. For instance, the commercial trade of certain European countries in the 12th and 13th centuries depended on Jewish (Judaism) merchants, a circumstance that (for a time) prevented the anti-Semitic (anti-Semitism) aristocracy and clergy from driving the Jews into exile. Another example of begrudging toleration can be seen in Britain in the 20-year period following 1950, which saw an influx of immigrants from the Caribbean, Pakistan, and India. Many British people did not like these new minority groups, but the nation's prevailing democratic ideology overcame attempts to eject them. A minority may disappear from a society via assimilation, a process through which a minority group replaces its traditions with those of the dominant culture. However, complete assimilation is very rare. More frequent is the process of acculturation, in which two or more groups exchange culture traits. A society in which internal groups make a practice of acculturation usually evolves through this inherent give and take, causing the minority culture to become more like the dominant group and the dominant culture to become increasingly eclectic and accepting of difference. ![]() |
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