Chapter 1: What is race? What is ethnicity? The study of minorities Chapter 1 Overview This chapter begins by examining the stranger as a social phenomena. Across societies, differences among people cause each group to view other groups as strangers. Perceptions of newcomers reflect categoric knowing, or the classification of others based on limited information such as what is visible. Through interactions strangers have a special awareness of things that go unnoticed by natives, such as customs and social constructions. Race is one such social construction that natives may take for granted but which strangers or newcomers may be acutely aware. Minority groups usually receive unequal treatment in society and have features that set them apart and are held in low esteem. Racial groups are biologically similar groups and ethnic groups share a learned cultural heritage. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own point of view is the center of everything. In any sociological study of race and ethnicity, ethnocentrism must be recognized and diminished in order to reach towards objectivity. The chapter concludes by discussing some foundational concepts of sociology, such as the sociological imagination and the functionalist, interactionist, and conflict theory standpoints.CHAPTER 1 Learning ObjectivesAfter reading Chapter 1, you should be able to:1 Explain how the concept of the stranger helps us understand others.2 Identify the characteristics of a minority group.3 Distinguish the complex differences between a racial and ethnic group.4 Explain how ethnocentrism affects our acceptance of others.5 Explain the Dillingham Flaw and why it is important in studying diversity.6 Identify the connection between personal troubles and public issues.7 Examine the dynamics of intergroup relations.8 Evaluate what sociological perspectives tell us about minority groups.