“Globalization and Its (Mal)econtents: The Gendered Moral and Political
Economy of Terrorism,” Michael S. Kimmel
This article by Michael S. Kimmel examines the heavily gendered nature of terrorist
groups of varying locations and ideologies. The role of globalization and its associated
egalitarianism is cited as a major motivator for American right wing extremist groups
such as White Aryan Resistance. Leaders create and spread propaganda to target
disenfranchised young males who feel their opportunities have been restricted by the
growth of immigration and women entering the workforce. According to them, this is
perpetrated both by the feminist emasculation of men, and the control of the Jews. This
emphasis on anti-Semitism and masculinity is seen in Scandinavian extremist groups as
well, with the addition of a fear of homosexuality growing to undermine masculinity.
The attention shifts to Al Qaida and the Taliban, Islamic extremists who recruit
significantly amongst young men who have dwindling career opportunities. The rigid
gender politics of the Taliban are theorized to be the result of women entering the
workforce and to counteract they use a literal interpretation of the Quran to
remasculinize men (hence the mandatory growth of beards), and the refeminization of
women (removing them from the public sphere). The so-called “mastermind” of the
9/11 hijackings, Mohammad Atta, is presented as a man who failed at attaining
employment, which was more disturbing to him next to his sisters, one of whom is a
professor and the other a doctor, and thus attracted to this fundamentalism as a way to
counteract his shortcomings.
The group that White supremacists paint as both hypo- and hypersexual is
a. Jews
b. Blacks
c. gay men
d. Muslims
“Is Capitalism Gendered and Racialized?” Joan Acker
Capitalism has been dominated by white males and built by a subordinated gender and
race segregated labor force. It has been buttressed by a largely unpaid force of
caregivers who are primarily female. These gender and race divisions of labor still exist
and are global in scope. Furthermore, capitalist endeavors are gendered in that
hegemonic masculinities define dominant values in the norms of corporate conduct.
_________________ has been an essential component of power within capitalist
history.
a. Compassion
b. Violence
c. Fairness
d. Kindness
“A Different Mirror,” Ronald T. Takaki
Through personal reflection and historical summaries, Ronald T. Takaki explores
multicultural America. As a Japanese American, Takaki argues that the historical and
cultural influence of the Japanese, as well as other racial and ethnic groups, on
American culture is largely unrecognized. The contributions of racial and ethnic groups
must be acknowledged to fully appreciate the true essence of American identity.
Takaki illustrates how despite historical similarities, racial and ethnic groups have been
pitted against one another, and their historical presence denied. Yet, he points out, their
influences and contributions to society are evident everywhere. He argues that
recognizing the value of their experiences allows for an enlightened understanding of
our common history and the tensions and struggles evident among racial and ethnic
groups today.
Takaki points out that slavery and the Civil Rights Movement serve as:
a. scars on America’s past.
b. reminders of America’s goal of freedom.
c. evidence of hardship and suffering among Americans.
d. evidence of American’s conformity to social norms.
“Growing Food and Justice: Dismantling Racism through Systainable Food
Systems,” Alfonso Morales
Morales’ piece centers on a specific program: the Growing Food and Justice for All
Initiative (GFJI), but as a whole addresses the issues of racism and classism as it relates
to food. He traces the pattern that, over the past 50 years, supermarkets have
consolidated from smaller neighborhood markets into larger, massive spaces that tend
to be centered mostly in higher profit, higher socioeconomic status areas. One of these
consequences is that the smaller neighborhood markets that are left in lower income
areas have a more limited supply of healthier, fresh food items, and that they are priced
higher than their suburban counterparts. GFJI is an organization that promotes
sustainable agricultural and community food security organizations to help urban
neighborhoods become more self-sufficient and able to access healthier foods than what
is provided at other supermarkets.
Research finds that there are ____ times as many grocery stores in predominantly White
areas when compared to predominantly Black ones
a. 2
b. 3
c. 4
d. 5
“Our Mothers’ Grief: Racial-Ethnic Women and the Maintenance of Families,”
Bonnie Thornton Dill
Bonnie Thornton Dill broadens the dominant perspective of American families through
this historical analysis of racial-ethnic women and their families. She demonstrates how
the establishment of the “modern American family” ideal and expectations of racial and
ethnic groups as sources of cheap labor created distinct familial experiences among
women of various racial-ethnic groups in early America
According to Dill, which of the following was true with regard to Chinese American
families of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?
a. Immigration restrictions prevented the formation of families within this group.
b. Many Chinese sojourners sent wages to their families in China.
c. A split-household form characterized Chinese American families.
d. all of these answers are correct
“The Invention of Heterosexuality,” Jonathan Ned Katz
The author documents the history and invention of the term heterosexuality as a means
of categorizing sexual relationships. The author emphasizes how sexuality has been
closely linked to structural power and the means of production within a society
throughout history. He argues that an ahistorical approach to studying sexuality
continues to privilege “normal” and “natural” sexual expression.
In Sexual Behavior of the Human Male, Kinsey found that:
a. homosexual experience is virtually absent within males.
b. homosexual experience is rare among young and middle-aged males.
c. homosexual experience is more common than was previously thought.
d. homosexuality is rare among elderly men.
“Are Emily and Greg More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal?” Marianne
Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan
Recognizing that all measures of economic success show racial inequalities in the
United States labor market, these authors designed and conducted a study to determine
whether perceptions of race connected with an applicant’s name might influence
whether the applicant got called for an interview. They created fictitious job applicants
and assigned names suggestive of different races to identical resumes. This article
reports their findings.
Bertrand and Mullainathan found that applicants in their study given White sounding
names needed to send out 10 resumes to get a callback. They found that applicants with
African-American sounding names needed to send out:
a. 15
b. 10
c. 29
d. 3
“Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality,” Hanne Blank
Blank draws upon personal experience regarding the topic of being labeled “straight”
based upon her own definition, having a male-appearing partner who has Klienfelter’s
Syndrome, a chromosomal makeup that includes an additional X chromosome. The role
that genetics, as well as biology (in the form of being able to reproduce) have been used
to define what is male and female are addressed as being non-binary, while our
definitions of sexuality usually is based on those simple assumptions (heterosexual,
homosexual, bisexual). The fact that “heterosexual” and “homosexual” are terms of
relatively recent origin, and have been tied more closely to legal issues than anything
related to personal perception or identity.
The original creation of the terms “homosexual” and “heterosexual” was for
a. medical purposes
b. philosophical purposes
c. religious purposes
d. legal purposes
“Sex and Gender Through the Prism of Difference,” Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette
Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner
Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner present a new
framework of the study of gender. The “prism of difference” they describe broadens the
traditional view of gender by recognizing the influences of social locations other than
gender, and hierarchical systems other than patriarchy. This new perspective
encompasses the experiences of all women, not just those defined as middle class white
women, new views on men and masculinity, and the consideration of gender within a
global perspective. The authors argue that by looking at gender through a “prism,”
instead of a patchwork of other factors, such as class, race, national identity, age, etc.,
the differences and inequalities recognized among both women and men will serve to
expand our understanding of gender.
According to Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner in
“Gender Through the Prism of Difference,” what factor(s) other than gender affect
women?
a. class
b. race
c. age
d. all of these answers are correct
“Rape, Racism and the Law” Jennifer Wriggins
Wriggins argues that the legal system’s treatment of rape has furthered racism and has
denied the reality of women’s sexual subordination. She illustrates how the history of
rape in the U.S. has focused on the rape of White women by Black men, ignoring both
White men as rapists and Black women as victims of rape.
Between 1882 and 1946 at least 4715 persons were lynched, about
_______________of whom were Black.
a. 25%
b. 50%
c. 75%
d. 95%
“Seeing in 3D,” Margaret L. Andersen
Margaret L. Andersen argues that the economy is not a neutral force, as it is portrayed
in the media. Economic downturns do not hit all citizens equally. Specific groups
experience economic change in different ways. Asking, “what would we see differently
were we to view the economic recession with women and people of color in mind,”
Andersen demonstrates the varying effects on economic standing influenced by the
intersections of race, class and gender.
According to Andersen, the decline in unemployment has been less than that for men
because women are less likely to be employed in the _______________ sector of the
labor market where there was more job growth.
a. private
b. service
c. industrial
d. public
“Health and Wealth: Our Appalling Health Inequality Reflects and Reinforces
Society’s Other Gaps,” Lawrence R. Jacobs and James A. Morone
Jacobs and Morone address the relatively low ranking of the United States relative to
other countries on issues influencing life chances, particularly those relevant to health
and longevity. They note disparities within the United States based on wealth, and
identify three causes of health woes including poverty, inequality, and the organization
of the health care system. They conclude that while other countries have followed
“three paths to good health” the United States has supported public policies that
compromise the health of most of its citizens.
According to Jacobs and Morone, 33 million people in the United States live with:
a. food insecurity & homelessness
b. untreated AIDS
c. alcohol abuse and/or drug addiction
d. unemployment and no health insurance
“Must-See TV: South Asian Characterizations in American Popular Media,”
Bhoomi K. Thakore
Thankore examines the changing role South Asian and Indians have had in American
popular culture, and the rather rapid increase in TV characters of this background. The
surprise popularity of Slumdog Millionaire is cited as a possible reason for this, as well
as the ability for Indian characters to act as a token minority in place of Arab and
Muslim characters in a post-9/11 society. Along with this though has been a
racialization of South Asians and the associated stereotyping in society. Thakore
examines the evolution of Indian characters, from dangerous savages in India to cab
drivers and convenience store owners in urban areas, and increasingly as high achieving
students. The stereotype of the low-earning service employee is one not consistent with
the academic and economic achievements of Indians and South Asians, while the more
modern presence as scientists and doctors is more realistic.
According to Thakore, the United States has evolved a ____ tier system of racial
hierarchy
a. Two
b. Three
c. Four
d. Five
“The Prison and the Closet,” Patricia Hill Collins
Patricia Hill Collins considers the intersecting relationship between racism and
heterosexism. She argues that the assumption that these two hegemonic ideologies
represent separate systems of oppression obscures the fact that racism and sexism rely
upon each other for meaning. Without sacrificing the acknowledgement of differences
in the way that racism and heterosexism manifest, the author shows that the two
systems converge and that both systems affect the everyday lives of all people.
West claims that LGBT people carry the stigma of ____________________.
a. asexuality
b. AIDS
c. rejecting heterosexuality
d. childlessness
“There’s No Business Like the Nail Business,” Miliann Kang
Kang takes a double pronged approach to her article, examining both why the beauty
industry, specifically related to manicures and pedicures, has shifted from something
done within the home to something performed professionally. She also examines the
prevalence of Korean women within this industry. Kang claims the expansion of the
industry is the factor of these two events coming together: women looking to reinforce
their femininity as part of an overall “commercialization of intimate life” that appeal to
emotions and bodies in a form of escapism. With the increase of immigrants, largely
female and Asian, who perform the work, the prices are kept low enough and the
availability of services have done nothing but increase the popularity of this industry.
By assigning market values to the human body, new forms of work are created and
named _______ by Kang
a. body labor
b. market work
c. intimate work
d. none of these choices are correct
“Navigating Interracial Borders: Black-White Couples and their Social Worlds,”
Erica Chito Childs
Erica Chito Childs examines the experiences and challenges that Black/White couples
face within their families and communities. Although interracial relationships and
marriages are often viewed as a sign of improving race relations, she argues that these
relationships are often met with opposition from both White and Black communities.
She examines the discourse that families use when discussing their feelings and beliefs
about interracial relationships. She finds, for example, that White families often pose
their opposition to Black/White marriage in non-racial terms and stress that they are
“concerned” for how difficult society would make life for the child who is involved
interracially. In contrast to White families, Black families emphasize the importance of
“marrying Black” to their children and explicitly identify race as an issue. Her
conclusion is that because interracial couples exist in, what she terms, a “borderland”
between Black and White, her examination of interracial couples offers much to our
understanding contemporary race relations. The beliefs expressed by the both the Black
and White families illustrate the centrality of race in constructing families and identities
and, particularly, the social construction of race.
According to Childs, White families discourage their family members from engaging in
interracial relationships to maintain _______________. Black families discourage
interracial unions to maintain _______________.
a. solidarity; privilege
b. opposition; assimilation
c. family heritage; societal acceptance
d. White privilege; strength and solidarity of Black communities
“The Prison and the Closet,” Patricia Hill Collins
Patricia Hill Collins considers the intersecting relationship between racism and
heterosexism. She argues that the assumption that these two hegemonic ideologies
represent separate systems of oppression obscures the fact that racism and sexism rely
upon each other for meaning. Without sacrificing the acknowledgement of differences
in the way that racism and heterosexism manifest, the author shows that the two
systems converge and that both systems affect the everyday lives of all people.
Racism and sexism use a common cognitive framework called ________________
thinking.
a. prejudiced
b. discriminatory
c. opposites attract
d. binary
“A Different Mirror,” Ronald T. Takaki
Through personal reflection and historical summaries, Ronald T. Takaki explores
multicultural America. As a Japanese American, Takaki argues that the historical and
cultural influence of the Japanese, as well as other racial and ethnic groups, on
American culture is largely unrecognized. The contributions of racial and ethnic groups
must be acknowledged to fully appreciate the true essence of American identity.
Takaki illustrates how despite historical similarities, racial and ethnic groups have been
pitted against one another, and their historical presence denied. Yet, he points out, their
influences and contributions to society are evident everywhere. He argues that
recognizing the value of their experiences allows for an enlightened understanding of
our common history and the tensions and struggles evident among racial and ethnic
groups today.
Takaki maintains that the history and influence of all groups in America:
a. offer a concreteness to the founding national principle of equality.
b. creates a conflict of interest between minority and dominant groups.
c. reflect the racial harmony evident in society today.
d. have resulted in an end to racial injustice
“Sex and Gender Through the Prism of Difference,” Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette
Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner
Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner present a new
framework of the study of gender. The “prism of difference” they describe broadens the
traditional view of gender by recognizing the influences of social locations other than
gender, and hierarchical systems other than patriarchy. This new perspective
encompasses the experiences of all women, not just those defined as middle class white
women, new views on men and masculinity, and the consideration of gender within a
global perspective. The authors argue that by looking at gender through a “prism,”
instead of a patchwork of other factors, such as class, race, national identity, age, etc.,
the differences and inequalities recognized among both women and men will serve to
expand our understanding of gender.
In the 1970s, riding the wave of a resurgent feminist movement, colleges and
universities began to develop women’s studies courses that aimed first and foremost to
make women’s lives:
a. tolerable.
b. visible.
c. acceptable.
d. interesting.
“Interpreting and Experiencing Anti-Queer Violence: Race, Class and gender
Differences Among LGBT Hate Crime Victims,” Doug Meyer
Doug Meyer uses an intersectional approach and a qualitative methodology to explore
how victims of violence in the LBGT community experience victimization differently
according to race, class gender and sexuality. Meyer finds that multiple intersecting
oppressed statuses make the identification of hate crime more complicated for all but
middle and upper class White gay men. Those statutes may then serve primarily the
interests of those White men, not the interests of lesbian and bisexual women, and
particularly not LGBT people of color.
The degree to which queer people are willing to determine that violence is based on
their sexuality varies by:
a. the severity of the crime
b. degrees of homophobia in the community
c. intersections in the race, class, gender and sexuality of the victim
d. how likely the victim thinks the violence will reoccur
“Sustainable Food and Privilege: Why is Green Always White (and Male and
Upper Class)” Janani Balasubramanian
Food justice, Janani Balasubramanian argues, is fundamentally a race and class issue,
and food activists are not speaking about it as such. The emphasis on local food
economy fails to recognize the importance of United States support of agriculture in
other parts of the world. Activists of color who do admirable work in their communities
are often ignored by White activist writers and film makers. Thus we do not hear the
“variety of voices’ that needs to be heard if universal food reform is to be achieved.
According to Balasubramanian, food reform requires:
a. a return to the family farm
b. White men to be more involved
c. a diversity of voices
d. that we stop buying foreign produce
“The Great Divergence: Growing Income Inequality Could Destabilize the U.S. So
Why Isn”t Anyone Talking about It?” Timothy Noah
Examining the historical status of income inequality in the United States, Timothy Noah
paints a picture that shows just how much worse economic disparity has become. In
1915, Willford I. King was troubled by the fact that the top 1% of earners possessed
15-18% of American wealth. Today, that figure is closer to 24%. Income equality was
more consistent following the Second World War and into the 1950s and 1960s, but the
following decades saw the separation begin to grow dramatically. Noah argues that
income inequality is ignored by most of the population due to a long-standing belief in
social mobility, and that hard work and intelligence can allow anyone to move to a
higher income bracket. He also illustrates the point how with the “Great Divergence”,
American economic inequality is more significant than in Latin American nations
where it is always assumed to be a long-standing problem.
According to the CIA, income in the United States is more unequal than it is in
a. Guyana
b. Nicaragua
c. Venezuela
d. all of these choices are correct
“Sex and Gender Through the Prism of Difference,” Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette
Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner
Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner present a new
framework of the study of gender. The “prism of difference” they describe broadens the
traditional view of gender by recognizing the influences of social locations other than
gender, and hierarchical systems other than patriarchy. This new perspective
encompasses the experiences of all women, not just those defined as middle class white
women, new views on men and masculinity, and the consideration of gender within a
global perspective. The authors argue that by looking at gender through a “prism,”
instead of a patchwork of other factors, such as class, race, national identity, age, etc.,
the differences and inequalities recognized among both women and men will serve to
expand our understanding of gender.
According to Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael Messner,
the experiences of which of the following groups need to be considered under the
“prism of difference”?
a. international companies
b. immigrant women and refugee women
c. schools
d. civic organizations
“Label Us Angry” Jeremiah Torres
Torres is still angry, years after an incident that he describes as “the most painful and
shocking event” of his life. Growing up in Palo Alto California, he and his friend Carlos
had not experienced overt racism until they had a confrontation with a speeding driver
who cut them off as they were leaving their high school parking lot. The events that
followed ” from the meanness of the people in the other car to the reactions of police
officers and the different ways in which the author and his friend handled their anger ”
illustrate some dramatic consequences of racist assumptions and racist labeling.
What hurt Carlos more than the mace or the night he spent in the juvenile detention
center?
a. racist labels
b. a police beating
c. the reactions of his parents
d. his conscience
“Gender Matters. So Do Race And Class: Experiences of Gendered Racism on the
Wal-Mart Shop Floor,” Sandra E. Weissinger
Sandra Weissinger examined complaints made in the Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
class action lawsuit to understand the specific ways that individuals who are targeted
for mistreatment experience mistreatment in raced, classed and gendered ways. She
documents the unequal treatment that women receive in comparison to men, but shows
that some women hold contradictory positions. A given woman who is targeted for her
gender may be given some privilege linked to her race, thus yielding different outcomes
for different women. She argues that discrimination based on sex alone does not explain
the variation in women’s experiences.
She concludes that discriminatory work atmospheres are maintained in multiple and
complex ways, contributing to the persistence of “a web of intersecting and relational
inequalities.”
According to Weissinger, “insiders who hold beliefs that make them outsiders need
support so they will continue to believe that the long-term benefits of their actions will
outweigh the short-term punishments they endure for failing to _______________
discriminatory practices.”
a. report
b. identify
c. replicate
d. oppose
“Race as Class,” Herbert J. Gans
Noting that most biologists argue that scientifically there can be no human “races’ and
that sociologists argue that concepts of race are socially constructed, Gans links the
persistent lay definition of “race” to the hierarchy of social class in the U.S. The laity,
he claims, notice variations in select physical characteristics and “see” these variations
as markers of individual races. The lay public then uses their definitions of race to place
individuals in hierarchal categories that correspond to social class locations. Gans
further claims that many immigrant groups were “blanched” or “whitened” in the lay
imagination once those groups experienced upward mobility. This was not the case, he
says for African Americans. While the reasons for this exception are a “mystery” to
Gans, he expects it to persist unless class hierarchies finally disappear “in some utopian
future.”
Scholars trace color differences in human skin to:
a. different racial “tribes’
b. climatic adaptations
c. intermarriage
d. immigration
“Are Asian Americans Becoming “White”?” Min Zhou
Zhou discusses the way that, officially and unofficially, Asian Americans are more and
more often being combined with Whites as having similar experiences. Unofficially
they are considered the “model minority”, with some achieving successes consistent
with the American Dream, and officially the fact that the two groups are combined
when it comes to equal opportunity programs. Zhou first criticizes this for the fact that
Asian American is a designation that includes people from a multitude of different
countries of origin, each having different experiences both in the past and during their
time in the United States. The “model minority” label is seen as being problematic for
reinforcing the stereotype that racism no longer exists: that any other racial or ethnic
group should be able to achieve the same. It also ignores the fact that different Asian
American groups have achieved different levels of assimilation and social class
standing, and are not a heterogeneous group that can be described with a singular label.
Zhou describes that most Asian Americans are not seeing to become “White”, but see
that as the standard norm for American society, and their own identity is more
nationalistic (American) than racial. However, the perspective that Asian Americans
would be able to achieve “Whiteness” would also minimize and ignore the impact of
anti-Asian discrimination and racism that is still present in American society.
In a study of Vietnamese youth in San Diego, most identified themselves as being
a. Asian American
b. Vietnamese
c. Vietnamese American
d. American
“Straight is to Gay as Family is to No Family,” Kath Weston
This essay presents a distinct dichotomy that depicts the establishment and maintenance
of family and extended kin in the gay and straight world. Weston delineates a path of
rejection, isolation and loneliness from straight families as gay persons attempt to
establish individual identities. In addressing misperceptions surrounding gay life, this
essay also introduces alternative approaches to the establishment and cultivation of
family life.
According to Weston, a long sociological tradition in the United States of studying
the family under siege or in various states of dissolution lent credibility to charges that
this institution required protection from:
a. destructive forces.
b. societal ills.
c. the homosexual threat.
d. a lesbian threat.
“Navigating Interracial Borders: Black-White Couples and their Social Worlds,”
Erica Chito Childs
Erica Chito Childs examines the experiences and challenges that Black/White couples
face within their families and communities. Although interracial relationships and
marriages are often viewed as a sign of improving race relations, she argues that these
relationships are often met with opposition from both White and Black communities.
She examines the discourse that families use when discussing their feelings and beliefs
about interracial relationships. She finds, for example, that White families often pose
their opposition to Black/White marriage in non-racial terms and stress that they are
“concerned” for how difficult society would make life for the child who is involved
interracially. In contrast to White families, Black families emphasize the importance of
“marrying Black” to their children and explicitly identify race as an issue. Her
conclusion is that because interracial couples exist in, what she terms, a “borderland”
between Black and White, her examination of interracial couples offers much to our
understanding contemporary race relations. The beliefs expressed by the both the Black
and White families illustrate the centrality of race in constructing families and identities
and, particularly, the social construction of race.
According to Childs, interracial couples exist on the color-line in society or what she
calls the _______________ between Black and White.
a. “transgression zone”
b. “borderland”
c. “common ground”
d. “neutral zone”
“Is This A White Country, or What?” Lillian Rubin
Lillian Rubin demonstrates the links between economic competition, racial prejudice,
and the anti-immigration sentiments expressed by working class whites. Rubin points
out that while there is a long history of racial hostility toward immigrant groups in
America, the limited employment opportunities and the darker skin tones of recent
immigrants have intensified these hostilities. Racism and nativism, according to Rubin,
is apparent in Whites’ views of recent immigrants and people of color. The visibility of
and the demands for recognition expressed by these groups are seen as threats to whites’
economic livelihood and their understanding of America. Rubin’s interviews with
working class Whites illustrate this point, as well as two contradictions evident in
Whites’ attitudes toward immigrants and people of color: Whites resent the unity of
these groups, yet they exclude them from dominant society. Whites criticize members
of these groups for their perceived failures as well as their successes. Rubin asserts that
Whites have begun to reclaim their ethnic heritage as a way to secure what they see as
their hard earned position of privilege in American society.
As noted in “Is This A White Country, or What?” early Irish, Italian, and Jewish
immigrants:
a. experienced racial prejudice and were viewed as able to assimilate by the dominant
group.
b. were welcomed to America as an additional labor force.
c. never experienced racial prejudice and were viewed as able to assimilate by the
dominant group.
d. were always considered to be White by the dominant group.
“The Great Divergence: Growing Income Inequality Could Destabilize the U.S. So
Why Isn”t Anyone Talking about It?” Timothy Noah
Examining the historical status of income inequality in the United States, Timothy Noah
paints a picture that shows just how much worse economic disparity has become. In
1915, Willford I. King was troubled by the fact that the top 1% of earners possessed
15-18% of American wealth. Today, that figure is closer to 24%. Income equality was
more consistent following the Second World War and into the 1950s and 1960s, but the
following decades saw the separation begin to grow dramatically. Noah argues that
income inequality is ignored by most of the population due to a long-standing belief in
social mobility, and that hard work and intelligence can allow anyone to move to a
higher income bracket. He also illustrates the point how with the “Great Divergence”,
American economic inequality is more significant than in Latin American nations
where it is always assumed to be a long-standing problem.
According to Timothy Noah, income equality became dramatically more equal in the
a. 1930s
b. 1940s
c. 1970s
d. 1980s
“Racism in Toyland,” Christine Williams
Williams examines the social organization of shopping and uncovers labor, advertising
and other practices that perpetuate racial (as well as gender and class) injustice and
inequality. She identifies problems in retail policies such as selective advertising;
opposition to public bus service to malls; job segregation; and racial profiling by clerks
and security guards. Williams views the raising of awareness as a first step in creating a
better alternative.
The history of suburban malls is a history of:
a. intentional racial segregation
b. the creation of egalitarian space where all shoppers are equal
c. intentional racial integration
d. unintentional racial segregation
“Growing Food and Justice: Dismantling Racism through Systainable Food
Systems,” Alfonso Morales
Morales’ piece centers on a specific program: the Growing Food and Justice for All
Initiative (GFJI), but as a whole addresses the issues of racism and classism as it relates
to food. He traces the pattern that, over the past 50 years, supermarkets have
consolidated from smaller neighborhood markets into larger, massive spaces that tend
to be centered mostly in higher profit, higher socioeconomic status areas. One of these
consequences is that the smaller neighborhood markets that are left in lower income
areas have a more limited supply of healthier, fresh food items, and that they are priced
higher than their suburban counterparts. GFJI is an organization that promotes
sustainable agricultural and community food security organizations to help urban
neighborhoods become more self-sufficient and able to access healthier foods than what
is provided at other supermarkets.
Why are many Americans, especially low income and of color, described as being
overweight but malnourished?
a. poor decision making
b. the affordability and availability of processed, less nutritional foods
c. cultural preferences for certain cuisines
d. none of these choices are correct
“The Intersectional Paradigm and Alternative Visions to Stopping Domestic
Violence: What Poor women, Women of Color, and Immigrant Women Are
Teaching Us About Violence in the Family,” Natalie J. Sokoloff
Sokoloff’s work studies the problem of domestic violence from an intersectional
perspective. By doing this, she challenges the notion that gender inequality is the only
primary force driving the problem. The approach has two distinct objectives: giving
voices to battered women, as well as addressing socially structured inequalities that
feed into the problem. One of her major critiques is that the often-supported
“colorblind” approach to domestic violence (specifically in that it cuts through all races,
ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses), it prevents larger social structural problems
that feed into the problem from being recognized and addressed. As an example of this,
research shows that controlling for economics, African American women are less likely
to experience domestic violence, and that neighborhood factors (less collective
efficacy) is a more significant determining factor than race is. The tendency to approach
cases of domestic violence as part of a different cultural perspective (such as honor
killings), also minimizes the perceptions of domestic violence with persons of color.
Finally, community based programs are outlined that seek to prevent these issues
through structural change are examined.
The relationship between race and intimate partner violence can be described as
a. Highly correlated
b. Race acting as a proxy measure for neighborhood/environment
c. Race acting as a proxy measure for family
d. Inversely correlated