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Minority group

The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number of individuals is therefore the 'minority'. However, in terms of sociology, economics, and politics; a demographic which takes up the smallest fraction of the population is not necessarily the 'minority'. In the academic context, 'minority' and 'majority' groups are more appropriately understood in terms of hierarchical power structures. For example, in South Africa during Apartheid, white Europeans held virtually all social, economic, and political power over black Africans. For this reason, black Africans are the 'minority group', despite the fact that they outnumber white Europeans in South Africa. This is why academics more frequently use the term 'minority group' to refer to a category of people who experience relative disadvantage as compared to members of a dominant social group.[1]

Minority group membership is typically based on differences in observable characteristics or practices, such as: ethnicity (ethnic minority), race (racial minority), religion (religious minority), sexual orientation (sexual minority), or disability.[2] The framework of intersectionality can be used to recognize that an individual may simultaneously hold membership in multiple minority groups (e.g. both a racial and religious minority).[3] Likewise, individuals may also be part of a minority group in regard to some characteristics, but part of a dominant group in regard to others.[4]

The term "minority group" often occurs within the discourse of civil rights and collective rights, as members of minority groups are prone to differential treatment in the countries and societies in which they live.[5] Minority group members often face discrimination in multiple areas of social life, including housing, employment, healthcare, and education, among others.[6][7] While discrimination may be committed by individuals, it may also occur through structural inequalities, in which rights and opportunities are not equally accessible to all.[8] The language of minority rights is often used to discuss laws designed to protect minority groups from discrimination and afford them equal social status to the dominant group.[9]

Definitions

Prior to the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), the term "minority" primarily referred to political parties in national legislatures, not ethnic, national, linguistic or religious groups.[10] The Paris Conference has been attributed with coining the concept of minority rights and bringing prominence to it.[10] The League of Nations Minorities Commission defined minority in 1919 as "nationals belonging to racial, religious, or linguistic minorities."[10]

Sociological

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".[11] The 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.[12] Thus, minority group status is categorical: an individual who exhibits the physical or behavioral characteristics of a given minority group is accorded the status of that group and is subject to the same treatment as other members of that group.[11]

Joe Feagin, states that a minority group has five characteristics: (1) suffering discrimination and subordination, (2) physical and/or cultural traits that set them apart, and which are disapproved by the dominant group, (3) a shared sense of collective identity and common burdens, (4) socially shared rules about who belongs and who does not determine minority status, and (5) tendency to marry within the group.[13]

Criticisms

There is a controversy with the use of the word minority, as it has a generic and an academic usage.[14] Common usage of the term indicates a statistical minority; however, academics refer to power differences among groups rather than differences in population size among groups.[15]

The above criticism is based on the idea that a group can be considered a minority even if it includes such a large number of people that it is numerically not a minority in society.

Some sociologists have criticized the concept of "minority/majority", arguing this language excludes or neglects changing or unstable cultural identities, as well as cultural affiliations across national boundaries.[16] As such, the term historically excluded groups (HEGs) is often similarly used to highlight the role of historical oppression and domination, and how this results in the under-representation of particular groups in various areas of social life.[17]

Political

The term national minority is often used to discuss minority groups in international and national politics.[18] All countries contain some degree of racial, ethnic, or linguistic diversity.[19] In addition, minorities may also be immigrant, indigenous or landless nomadic communities.[20] This often results in variations in language, culture, beliefs, practices, that set some groups apart from the dominant group. As these differences are usually perceived negatively, this results in loss of social and political power for members of minority groups.[21]

There is no legal definition of national minorities in international law, though protection of minority groups is outlined by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. International criminal law can protect the rights of racial or ethnic minorities in several ways.[22] The right to self-determination is a key issue. The Council of Europe regulates minority rights in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

In some places, subordinate ethnic groups may constitute a numerical majority, such as Blacks in South Africa under apartheid.[23] In the United States, for example, non-Hispanic Whites constitute the majority (63.4%) and all other racial and ethnic groups (Mexican, African Americans, Asian Americans, American Indian, and Native Hawaiians) are classified as "minorities".[24] If the non-Hispanic White population falls below 50% the group will only be the plurality, not the majority.

Examples of minority groups

Ethnic minorities

There is inadequate evidence whether mass media targeting ethnic minorities are more effective in changing health behaviors such as smoking cessation, weight reduction, and food habits when compared to mass media intended for the general population.[25] For example, Romani people are considered an ethnic minority in Europe. Romani people are Europe's largest ethnic minority.[26]

National minorities

A national minority is a social group within a state that differs from the majority and/or dominant population in terms of ethnicity, language, culture, or religion, but also it also tends to have a close link with a specific territory from which the minority social group originates.[27]

Involuntary minorities

Also known as "castelike minorities", involuntary minorities are a term for people who were originally brought into any society against their will. In the United States, for instance, it includes but is not limited to Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Puerto Ricans, African Americans,[28] and in the 1800s, native-born Mexican Americans.[29]

Voluntary minorities

Immigrants take on minority status in their new country, usually in hopes of a better future economically, educationally, and politically than in their homeland. Because of their focus on success, voluntary minorities are more likely to do better in school than other migrating minorities.[28] Adapting to a very different culture and language makes difficulties in the early stages of life in the new country. Voluntary immigrants do not experience a sense of divided identity as much as involuntary minorities and are often rich in social capital because of their educational ambitions.[30] Major immigrant groups in the United States include Mexicans, Central and South Americans, Cubans, Africans, East Asians, and South Asians.[29]

Gender and sexuality minorities

 
Pride events are held annually around the world for sexual minorities. In picture, people gathering at the Senate Square, Helsinki, right before the 2011 Helsinki Pride parade started.

The term sexual minority is frequently used by public health researchers to recognize a wide variety of individuals who engage in same-sex sexual behavior, including those who do not identify under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. For example, men who have sex with men (MSM), but do not identify as gay. In addition, the term gender minorities can include many types of gender variant people, such as intersex people, transgender people, or non-binary individuals. However, the terms sexual and gender minority are often not preferred by LGBTQ+ people, as they represent clinical categories rather than individual identity.[31]

Though lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people have existed throughout human history, LGBTQ+ rights movements across many western countries led to the recognition of LGBTQ+ people as members of a minority group.[31] LGBTQ+ people represent a numerical and social minority. They experience numerous social inequalities stemming from their group membership as LGBTQ+ people. These inequalities include social discrimination and isolation, unequal access to healthcare, employment, and housing, and experience negative mental and physical health outcomes due to these experiences.[31]

Disabled people

Leading up to the Human Rights Act 1998 in the UK, a rise in the awareness relating to how disabled people were being treated began. Many started to believe that they were being denied basic human rights. This act had a section that stated if authorities did not protect people with learning disabilities from others' actions, such as harm or neglect, then they could be prosecuted.[32]

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. Advocates of disability rights emphasize the difference in physical or psychological functioning rather than inferiority. For example, some autistic people argue for acceptance of neurodiversity, much as opponents of racism argue for acceptance of ethnic diversity. The deaf community is often regarded as a linguistic and cultural minority rather than a group with disabilities, and some deaf people do not see themselves as having a disability at all. Rather, they are disadvantaged by technologies and social institutions designed to cater to the dominant group. (See the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.)

Religious minorities

People belonging to religious minorities have a faith that is different from that held by the majority. 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 religion, including not having any religion (atheism and/or agnosticism), and including the right to convert from one religion to another. However, in many countries, this freedom is constricted. In Egypt, a new system of identity cards[33] requires all citizens to state their religion—and the only choices are Islam, Christianity, or Judaism (See Egyptian identification card controversy). Another example is the case of decreasing population of minorities in Pakistan, where they are being forcefully converted or killed.[34][35]

Women as a disadvantaged group

In most societies, numbers of men and women are roughly equal. Though women are not considered to be a minority,[36] the status of women as a subordinate group has led to many social scientists to study them as disadvantaged group.[37] Though women's legal rights and status vary widely across countries, women can experience social inequalities relative to men in various societies.[38] Women are sometimes denied access to education and access to the same opportunities as men.[39]

Law and government

In the politics of some countries, a "minority" is an ethnic group recognized by law, and having specified rights. Speakers of a legally recognized minority language, for instance, might have the right to education or communication with the government in their mother tongue. Countries with special provisions[which?] for minorities include Canada, China, Ethiopia, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Croatia, and the United Kingdom.[citation needed]

The various minority groups in a country are often not given equal treatment. Some groups are too small or indistinct to obtain minority protections. For example, a member of a particularly small ethnic group might be forced to check "Other" on a checklist of different backgrounds and so 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 sub-groups, primarily racial rather than national. Spain does not divide its nationals by ethnic group or national minorities, although it does maintain an official notion of minority languages, that is one of the criteria for to determine a national minority, upon the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

Some especially significant or powerful minorities receive comprehensive protection and political representation. For example, the former Yugoslav Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina recognizes the three constitutive nations, none of which constitutes a numerical majority (see nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina). However, other minorities such as Romani[40] and Jews, are officially labelled "foreign" and are excluded from many of these protections. For example, they may be excluded from political positions, including the presidency.[41]

There is debate over recognizing minority groups and their privileges. One view[42] is that the application of special rights to minority groups may harm some countries, such as new states in Africa or Latin America not founded on the European nation-state model, since minority recognition may interfere with establishing a national identity. It may hamper the integration of the minority into mainstream society, perhaps leading to separatism or supremacism. In Canada, some[who?] feel that the failure of the dominant English-speaking majority to integrate French Canadians has provoked Quebec separatism.

Others assert that minorities require specific protections to ensure that they are not marginalized: for example, bilingual education may be needed to allow linguistic minorities to fully integrate into the school system and compete equally in society. In this view, rights for minorities strengthen the nation-building project, as members of minorities see their interests well served, and willingly accept the legitimacy of the nation and their integration (not assimilation) within it.[43]

See also

References

  1. ^ Healey, Joseph F. (2 March 2018). Race, ethnicity, gender, & class : the sociology of group conflict and change. Stepnick, Andi,, O'Brien, Eileen, 1972– (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks, California. ISBN 9781506346946. OCLC 1006532841.
  2. ^ Ritzer, George (15 January 2014). Essentials of sociology. Los Angeles. ISBN 9781483340173. OCLC 871004576.
  3. ^ Hughes, Melanie (2011). "Intersectionality, Quotas, and Minority Women's Political Representation Worldwide". American Political Science Review. 3 (105): 604–620. doi:10.1017/S0003055411000293. S2CID 2592368.
  4. ^ Laurie, Timothy; Khan, Rimi (2017), "The Concept of Minority for the Study of Culture", Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 31 (1): 3, doi:10.1080/10304312.2016.1264110, S2CID 152009904
  5. ^ Johnson, Kevin. "The Struggle for Civil Rights: The Need for, and Impediments to, Political Coalitions among and within Minority Groups". Louisiana Law Review. 63: 759. from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  6. ^ Becker, Gary S. (1971). The economics of discrimination (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226041049. OCLC 658199810.
  7. ^ Williams, David R. (1999). "Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Health The Added Effects of Racism and Discrimination" (PDF). Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 896 (1): 173–188. Bibcode:1999NYASA.896..173W. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1999.tb08114.x. hdl:2027.42/71908. ISSN 0077-8923. PMID 10681897. S2CID 26852165. (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  8. ^ Verloo, Mieke (2006). "Multiple Inequalities, Intersectionality and the European Union". European Journal of Women's Studies. 13 (3): 211–228. doi:10.1177/1350506806065753. ISSN 1350-5068. S2CID 21752012. from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  9. ^ Skrentny, John David (2002). The minority rights revolution. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674043732. OCLC 431342257.
  10. ^ a b c Robson, Laura (2021). "Capitulations Redux: The Imperial Genealogy of the Post–World War I "Minority" Regimes". The American Historical Review. 126 (3): 978–1000. doi:10.1093/ahr/rhab358. ISSN 0002-8762.
  11. ^ a b Wirth, L. (1945). "The Problem of Minority Groups". In Linton, Ralph (ed.). The Science of Man in the World Crisis. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 347. The political scientist and law professor, Gad Barzilai, has offered a theoretical definition of non-ruling communities that conceptualizes groups that do not rule and are excluded from resources of political power. Barzilai, G. Communities and Law: Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
  12. ^ Wagley, Charles; Harris, Marvin (1958). Minorities in the new world: six case studies. New York: Columbia University Press.
  13. ^ Joe R. Feagin (1984). Racial and Ethnic Relations (2nd ed.). Prentice-Hall. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-13-750125-0.
  14. ^ Cultural Diversity Glossary of Terms. Diversity Training University International Publications Division. 2008. p. 4.
  15. ^ Barzilai, Gad (2010). Communities and Law: Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0472024001. from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  16. ^ Laurie, Timothy; Khan, Rimi (2017), "The Concept of Minority for the Study of Culture", Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 31 (1): 1–12, doi:10.1080/10304312.2016.1264110, S2CID 152009904
  17. ^ Konrad, Alison M.; Linnehan, Frank (1999), "Handbook of Gender & Work Handbook of gender & work", Handbook of Gender & Work, SAGE Publications, Inc., pp. 429–452, doi:10.4135/9781452231365.n22, ISBN 9780761913559
  18. ^ Daniel Šmihula (2008). (PDF). Romanian Journal of European Affairs. 8 (3): 51–81. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2011.
  19. ^ "The most (and least) culturally diverse countries in the world". Pew Research Center. from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  20. ^ Protsyk, Oleh (2010). The representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in parliament : a global overview. Inter-parliamentary Union.627. Geneva: Inter-parliamentary Union. OCLC 754152959.
  21. ^ Verkuyten, Maykel (2005). "Ethnic Group Identification and Group Evaluation Among Minority and Majority Groups: Testing the Multiculturalism Hypothesis". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 88 (1): 121–138. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.595.7633. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.88.1.121. ISSN 1939-1315. PMID 15631579.
  22. ^ Lyal S. Sunga (2004). International Criminal Law: Protection of Minority Rights, Beyond a One-Dimensional State: An Emerging Right to Autonomy? ed. Zelim Skurbaty. (2004) 255–275.
  23. ^ du Toit, Pierre; Theron, François (1988). "Ethnic and minority groups, and constitutional change in South Africa". Journal of Contemporary African Studies. 7 (1–2): 133–147. doi:10.1080/02589008808729481. ISSN 0258-9001.
  24. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United States". Census Bureau QuickFacts. from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  25. ^ Mosdøl A, Lidl IB, Straumann GH, Vist GE (17 February 2017). "Targeted Mass Media Interventions Promoting Healthy Behaviours to Reduce Risk of Non-Communicable Diseases in Adult, Ethnic Minorities". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2017 (2): CD011683. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011683.pub2. PMC 6464363. PMID 28211056.
  26. ^ "Roma people: 10 ways Europe's biggest minority faces discrimination". Reuters. 8 April 2019.
  27. ^ "United Nations Guide for Minorities". www.ohchr.org/en/ohchr_homepage.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ a b Ogbu, John U. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2015.
  29. ^ a b Ogbu and Simons (1998). "Voluntary and Involuntary Minorities: A Cultural-Ecological Theory of School Performance with Some Implications for Education" (PDF). Anthropology and Education Quarterly. 29 (2): 155–188. doi:10.1525/aeq.1998.29.2.155. (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2016.
  30. ^ Valenzuela, Angela. Subtractive Schooling. pp. 116–118.
  31. ^ a b c Mayer, Kenneth H.; Bradford, Judith B.; Makadon, Harvey J.; Stall, Ron; Goldhammer, Hilary; Landers, Stewart (2008). "Sexual and Gender Minority Health: What We Know and What Needs to Be Done". American Journal of Public Health. 98 (6): 989–995. doi:10.2105/ajph.2007.127811. ISSN 0090-0036. PMC 2377288. PMID 18445789.
  32. ^ Clements, Luke; Read, Janet (2003). Disabled people and European human rights: A review of the implications of the 1998 Human Rights Act for disabled children and adults in the UK (1 ed.). Bristol University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1t8964p. JSTOR j.ctt1t8964p. S2CID 246084235.
  33. ^ See "The Situation of the Bahá'í Community of Egypt" and "Religion Today: Bahais' struggle for recognition reveals a less tolerant face of Egypt", Bahai.org 2006-10-01 at the Wayback Machine, DWB.sacbee.com 2007-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ "Another Hindu girl abducted, forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan's Sindh; family stages protest". www.timesnownews.com. from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  35. ^ "Hindu medical student found dead in Pakistan hostel, brother alleges foul play". Hindustan Times. 17 September 2019. from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  36. ^ "Definition of Minority". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  37. ^ Hacker, Helen Mayer (1951). "Women as a Minority Group". Social Forces. 30 (1): 60–69. doi:10.2307/2571742. JSTOR 2571742.
  38. ^ Shachar, Ayelet (2001). Multicultural jurisdictions : cultural differences and women's rights. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0511040801. OCLC 56216656.
  39. ^ Women, U. N. (2018). Annual Report 2017–2018.
  40. ^ . SIOR, Social Impact Open Repository. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017.
  41. ^ Opinion of the Council of Europe's Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, in particular paragraphs 37–43 2007-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
  42. ^ For example, J.A. Lindgren-Alves, member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, speaking at the Committee's 67th Session (Summary Record of the 1724th Meeting, 23 August 2005, CERD/C/SR.1724)
  43. ^ See Henrard, K. (2000). Devising an Adequate System of Minority Protection: Individual Human Rights, Minority Rights and the Right to Self-Determination. Martinus Nijhoff. pp. 218–224. ISBN 978-9041113597. from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.

External links

  • Union of Minority Shareholders
  • ECMI – European Centre for Minority Issues
  • Minority language tool
  • What is a Minority Group? definitions from Dayton Law School.
  • From Paris to Cairo: Resistance of the Unacculturated
  • MINELRES – Minority Electronic Resources
  • Eurominority – Stateless and national minorities portal
  • State of the World's Minorities, an annual report by Minority Rights Group International
  • American Psychological Association's Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs
  • The Protection of Minorities in Europe – Minorities ABC

minority, group, minorities, redirects, here, term, used, lebanese, politics, minorities, lebanon, term, minority, group, different, usages, depending, context, according, common, usage, minority, group, simply, understood, terms, demographic, sizes, within, p. Minorities redirects here For the term used in Lebanese politics see Minorities Lebanon The term minority group has different usages depending on the context According to its common usage a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population i e a group in society with the least number of individuals is therefore the minority However in terms of sociology economics and politics a demographic which takes up the smallest fraction of the population is not necessarily the minority In the academic context minority and majority groups are more appropriately understood in terms of hierarchical power structures For example in South Africa during Apartheid white Europeans held virtually all social economic and political power over black Africans For this reason black Africans are the minority group despite the fact that they outnumber white Europeans in South Africa This is why academics more frequently use the term minority group to refer to a category of people who experience relative disadvantage as compared to members of a dominant social group 1 Minority group membership is typically based on differences in observable characteristics or practices such as ethnicity ethnic minority race racial minority religion religious minority sexual orientation sexual minority or disability 2 The framework of intersectionality can be used to recognize that an individual may simultaneously hold membership in multiple minority groups e g both a racial and religious minority 3 Likewise individuals may also be part of a minority group in regard to some characteristics but part of a dominant group in regard to others 4 The term minority group often occurs within the discourse of civil rights and collective rights as members of minority groups are prone to differential treatment in the countries and societies in which they live 5 Minority group members often face discrimination in multiple areas of social life including housing employment healthcare and education among others 6 7 While discrimination may be committed by individuals it may also occur through structural inequalities in which rights and opportunities are not equally accessible to all 8 The language of minority rights is often used to discuss laws designed to protect minority groups from discrimination and afford them equal social status to the dominant group 9 Contents 1 Definitions 1 1 Sociological 1 1 1 Criticisms 1 2 Political 2 Examples of minority groups 2 1 Ethnic minorities 2 2 National minorities 2 3 Involuntary minorities 2 4 Voluntary minorities 2 5 Gender and sexuality minorities 2 6 Disabled people 2 7 Religious minorities 2 8 Women as a disadvantaged group 3 Law and government 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksDefinitions EditPrior to the Paris Peace Conference 1919 1920 the term minority primarily referred to political parties in national legislatures not ethnic national linguistic or religious groups 10 The Paris Conference has been attributed with coining the concept of minority rights and bringing prominence to it 10 The League of Nations Minorities Commission defined minority in 1919 as nationals belonging to racial religious or linguistic minorities 10 Sociological Edit 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 11 The 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 12 Thus minority group status is categorical an individual who exhibits the physical or behavioral characteristics of a given minority group is accorded the status of that group and is subject to the same treatment as other members of that group 11 Joe Feagin states that a minority group has five characteristics 1 suffering discrimination and subordination 2 physical and or cultural traits that set them apart and which are disapproved by the dominant group 3 a shared sense of collective identity and common burdens 4 socially shared rules about who belongs and who does not determine minority status and 5 tendency to marry within the group 13 Criticisms Edit There is a controversy with the use of the word minority as it has a generic and an academic usage 14 Common usage of the term indicates a statistical minority however academics refer to power differences among groups rather than differences in population size among groups 15 The above criticism is based on the idea that a group can be considered a minority even if it includes such a large number of people that it is numerically not a minority in society Some sociologists have criticized the concept of minority majority arguing this language excludes or neglects changing or unstable cultural identities as well as cultural affiliations across national boundaries 16 As such the term historically excluded groups HEGs is often similarly used to highlight the role of historical oppression and domination and how this results in the under representation of particular groups in various areas of social life 17 Political Edit The term national minority is often used to discuss minority groups in international and national politics 18 All countries contain some degree of racial ethnic or linguistic diversity 19 In addition minorities may also be immigrant indigenous or landless nomadic communities 20 This often results in variations in language culture beliefs practices that set some groups apart from the dominant group As these differences are usually perceived negatively this results in loss of social and political power for members of minority groups 21 There is no legal definition of national minorities in international law though protection of minority groups is outlined by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic Religious and Linguistic Minorities International criminal law can protect the rights of racial or ethnic minorities in several ways 22 The right to self determination is a key issue The Council of Europe regulates minority rights in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities In some places subordinate ethnic groups may constitute a numerical majority such as Blacks in South Africa under apartheid 23 In the United States for example non Hispanic Whites constitute the majority 63 4 and all other racial and ethnic groups Mexican African Americans Asian Americans American Indian and Native Hawaiians are classified as minorities 24 If the non Hispanic White population falls below 50 the group will only be the plurality not the majority Examples of minority groups EditEthnic minorities Edit There is inadequate evidence whether mass media targeting ethnic minorities are more effective in changing health behaviors such as smoking cessation weight reduction and food habits when compared to mass media intended for the general population 25 For example Romani people are considered an ethnic minority in Europe Romani people are Europe s largest ethnic minority 26 National minorities Edit A national minority is a social group within a state that differs from the majority and or dominant population in terms of ethnicity language culture or religion but also it also tends to have a close link with a specific territory from which the minority social group originates 27 Involuntary minorities Edit Also known as castelike minorities involuntary minorities are a term for people who were originally brought into any society against their will In the United States for instance it includes but is not limited to Native Americans Native Hawaiians Puerto Ricans African Americans 28 and in the 1800s native born Mexican Americans 29 Voluntary minorities Edit Immigrants take on minority status in their new country usually in hopes of a better future economically educationally and politically than in their homeland Because of their focus on success voluntary minorities are more likely to do better in school than other migrating minorities 28 Adapting to a very different culture and language makes difficulties in the early stages of life in the new country Voluntary immigrants do not experience a sense of divided identity as much as involuntary minorities and are often rich in social capital because of their educational ambitions 30 Major immigrant groups in the United States include Mexicans Central and South Americans Cubans Africans East Asians and South Asians 29 Gender and sexuality minorities Edit Main article Sexual minority Pride events are held annually around the world for sexual minorities In picture people gathering at the Senate Square Helsinki right before the 2011 Helsinki Pride parade started The term sexual minority is frequently used by public health researchers to recognize a wide variety of individuals who engage in same sex sexual behavior including those who do not identify under the LGBTQ umbrella For example men who have sex with men MSM but do not identify as gay In addition the term gender minorities can include many types of gender variant people such as intersex people transgender people or non binary individuals However the terms sexual and gender minority are often not preferred by LGBTQ people as they represent clinical categories rather than individual identity 31 Though lesbian gay bisexual transgender and queer LGBTQ people have existed throughout human history LGBTQ rights movements across many western countries led to the recognition of LGBTQ people as members of a minority group 31 LGBTQ people represent a numerical and social minority They experience numerous social inequalities stemming from their group membership as LGBTQ people These inequalities include social discrimination and isolation unequal access to healthcare employment and housing and experience negative mental and physical health outcomes due to these experiences 31 Disabled people Edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed January 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Leading up to the Human Rights Act 1998 in the UK a rise in the awareness relating to how disabled people were being treated began Many started to believe that they were being denied basic human rights This act had a section that stated if authorities did not protect people with learning disabilities from others actions such as harm or neglect then they could be prosecuted 32 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 Advocates of disability rights emphasize the difference in physical or psychological functioning rather than inferiority For example some autistic people argue for acceptance of neurodiversity much as opponents of racism argue for acceptance of ethnic diversity The deaf community is often regarded as a linguistic and cultural minority rather than a group with disabilities and some deaf people do not see themselves as having a disability at all Rather they are disadvantaged by technologies and social institutions designed to cater to the dominant group See the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Religious minorities Edit Main article Minority religion People belonging to religious minorities have a faith that is different from that held by the majority 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 religion including not having any religion atheism and or agnosticism and including the right to convert from one religion to another However in many countries this freedom is constricted In Egypt a new system of identity cards 33 requires all citizens to state their religion and the only choices are Islam Christianity or Judaism See Egyptian identification card controversy Another example is the case of decreasing population of minorities in Pakistan where they are being forcefully converted or killed 34 35 Women as a disadvantaged group Edit In most societies numbers of men and women are roughly equal Though women are not considered to be a minority 36 the status of women as a subordinate group has led to many social scientists to study them as disadvantaged group 37 Though women s legal rights and status vary widely across countries women can experience social inequalities relative to men in various societies 38 Women are sometimes denied access to education and access to the same opportunities as men 39 Law and government EditIn the politics of some countries a minority is an ethnic group recognized by law and having specified rights Speakers of a legally recognized minority language for instance might have the right to education or communication with the government in their mother tongue Countries with special provisions which for minorities include Canada China Ethiopia Germany India the Netherlands Poland Romania Russia Croatia and the United Kingdom citation needed The various minority groups in a country are often not given equal treatment Some groups are too small or indistinct to obtain minority protections For example a member of a particularly small ethnic group might be forced to check Other on a checklist of different backgrounds and so 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 sub groups primarily racial rather than national Spain does not divide its nationals by ethnic group or national minorities although it does maintain an official notion of minority languages that is one of the criteria for to determine a national minority upon the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities Some especially significant or powerful minorities receive comprehensive protection and political representation For example the former Yugoslav Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina recognizes the three constitutive nations none of which constitutes a numerical majority see nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina However other minorities such as Romani 40 and Jews are officially labelled foreign and are excluded from many of these protections For example they may be excluded from political positions including the presidency 41 There is debate over recognizing minority groups and their privileges One view 42 is that the application of special rights to minority groups may harm some countries such as new states in Africa or Latin America not founded on the European nation state model since minority recognition may interfere with establishing a national identity It may hamper the integration of the minority into mainstream society perhaps leading to separatism or supremacism In Canada some who feel that the failure of the dominant English speaking majority to integrate French Canadians has provoked Quebec separatism Others assert that minorities require specific protections to ensure that they are not marginalized for example bilingual education may be needed to allow linguistic minorities to fully integrate into the school system and compete equally in society In this view rights for minorities strengthen the nation building project as members of minorities see their interests well served and willingly accept the legitimacy of the nation and their integration not assimilation within it 43 See also Edit Society portalDominant minority Ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland Ethnic penalty Intangible cultural heritage Interminority racism List of active NGOs of national minorities List of minority political parties Middleman minority Minority influence Minority language Minority philosophy Minority religion Minority Rights Group International Model minority Racial Minorities in STEM Fields Serge Moscovici Social exclusion Social stratification Social vulnerability TokenismReferences Edit Healey Joseph F 2 March 2018 Race ethnicity gender amp class the sociology of group conflict and change Stepnick Andi O Brien Eileen 1972 Eighth ed Thousand Oaks California ISBN 9781506346946 OCLC 1006532841 Ritzer George 15 January 2014 Essentials of sociology Los Angeles ISBN 9781483340173 OCLC 871004576 Hughes Melanie 2011 Intersectionality Quotas and Minority Women s Political Representation Worldwide American Political Science Review 3 105 604 620 doi 10 1017 S0003055411000293 S2CID 2592368 Laurie Timothy Khan Rimi 2017 The Concept of Minority for the Study of Culture Continuum Journal of Media amp Cultural Studies 31 1 3 doi 10 1080 10304312 2016 1264110 S2CID 152009904 Johnson Kevin The Struggle for Civil Rights The Need for and Impediments to Political Coalitions among and within Minority Groups Louisiana Law Review 63 759 Archived from the original on 15 February 2019 Retrieved 14 August 2018 Becker Gary S 1971 The economics of discrimination 2nd ed Chicago University of Chicago Press ISBN 9780226041049 OCLC 658199810 Williams David R 1999 Race Socioeconomic Status and Health The Added Effects of Racism and Discrimination PDF Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 896 1 173 188 Bibcode 1999NYASA 896 173W doi 10 1111 j 1749 6632 1999 tb08114 x hdl 2027 42 71908 ISSN 0077 8923 PMID 10681897 S2CID 26852165 Archived PDF from the original on 26 January 2012 Retrieved 23 September 2019 Verloo Mieke 2006 Multiple Inequalities Intersectionality and the European Union European Journal of Women s Studies 13 3 211 228 doi 10 1177 1350506806065753 ISSN 1350 5068 S2CID 21752012 Archived from the original on 10 February 2019 Retrieved 14 September 2018 Skrentny John David 2002 The minority rights revolution Cambridge Mass Belknap Press of Harvard University Press ISBN 9780674043732 OCLC 431342257 a b c Robson Laura 2021 Capitulations Redux The Imperial Genealogy of the Post World War I Minority Regimes The American Historical Review 126 3 978 1000 doi 10 1093 ahr rhab358 ISSN 0002 8762 a b Wirth L 1945 The Problem of Minority Groups In Linton Ralph ed The Science of Man in the World Crisis New York Columbia University Press p 347 The political scientist and law professor Gad Barzilai has offered a theoretical definition of non ruling communities that conceptualizes groups that do not rule and are excluded from resources of political power Barzilai G Communities and Law Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities Ann Arbor University of Michigan Press Wagley Charles Harris Marvin 1958 Minorities in the new world six case studies New York Columbia University Press Joe R Feagin 1984 Racial and Ethnic Relations 2nd ed Prentice Hall p 10 ISBN 978 0 13 750125 0 Cultural Diversity Glossary of Terms Diversity Training University International Publications Division 2008 p 4 Barzilai Gad 2010 Communities and Law Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities University of Michigan Press ISBN 978 0472024001 Archived from the original on 28 February 2017 Retrieved 27 February 2017 Laurie Timothy Khan Rimi 2017 The Concept of Minority for the Study of Culture Continuum Journal of Media amp Cultural Studies 31 1 1 12 doi 10 1080 10304312 2016 1264110 S2CID 152009904 Konrad Alison M Linnehan Frank 1999 Handbook of Gender amp Work Handbook of gender amp work Handbook of Gender amp Work SAGE Publications Inc pp 429 452 doi 10 4135 9781452231365 n22 ISBN 9780761913559 Daniel Smihula 2008 National Minorities in the Law of the EC EU PDF Romanian Journal of European Affairs 8 3 51 81 Archived from the original PDF on 23 August 2011 The most and least culturally diverse countries in the world Pew Research Center Archived from the original on 11 August 2019 Retrieved 1 November 2019 Protsyk Oleh 2010 The representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in parliament a global overview Inter parliamentary Union 627 Geneva Inter parliamentary Union OCLC 754152959 Verkuyten Maykel 2005 Ethnic Group Identification and Group Evaluation Among Minority and Majority Groups Testing the Multiculturalism Hypothesis Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 88 1 121 138 CiteSeerX 10 1 1 595 7633 doi 10 1037 0022 3514 88 1 121 ISSN 1939 1315 PMID 15631579 Lyal S Sunga 2004 International Criminal Law Protection of Minority Rights Beyond a One Dimensional State An Emerging Right to Autonomy ed Zelim Skurbaty 2004 255 275 du Toit Pierre Theron Francois 1988 Ethnic and minority groups and constitutional change in South Africa Journal of Contemporary African Studies 7 1 2 133 147 doi 10 1080 02589008808729481 ISSN 0258 9001 U S Census Bureau QuickFacts United States Census Bureau QuickFacts Archived from the original on 16 August 2018 Retrieved 17 August 2018 Mosdol A Lidl IB Straumann GH Vist GE 17 February 2017 Targeted Mass Media Interventions Promoting Healthy Behaviours to Reduce Risk of Non Communicable Diseases in Adult Ethnic Minorities Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2017 2 CD011683 doi 10 1002 14651858 CD011683 pub2 PMC 6464363 PMID 28211056 Roma people 10 ways Europe s biggest minority faces discrimination Reuters 8 April 2019 United Nations Guide for Minorities www ohchr org en ohchr homepage a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Ogbu John U Understanding Cultural Diversity and Learning PDF Archived from the original PDF on 4 October 2015 a b Ogbu and Simons 1998 Voluntary and Involuntary Minorities A Cultural Ecological Theory of School Performance with Some Implications for Education PDF Anthropology and Education Quarterly 29 2 155 188 doi 10 1525 aeq 1998 29 2 155 Archived PDF from the original on 12 March 2016 Valenzuela Angela Subtractive Schooling pp 116 118 a b c Mayer Kenneth H Bradford Judith B Makadon Harvey J Stall Ron Goldhammer Hilary Landers Stewart 2008 Sexual and Gender Minority Health What We Know and What Needs to Be Done American Journal of Public Health 98 6 989 995 doi 10 2105 ajph 2007 127811 ISSN 0090 0036 PMC 2377288 PMID 18445789 Clements Luke Read Janet 2003 Disabled people and European human rights A review of the implications of the 1998 Human Rights Act for disabled children and adults in the UK 1 ed Bristol University Press doi 10 2307 j ctt1t8964p JSTOR j ctt1t8964p S2CID 246084235 See The Situation of the Baha i Community of Egypt and Religion Today Bahais struggle for recognition reveals a less tolerant face of Egypt Bahai org Archived 2006 10 01 at the Wayback Machine DWB sacbee com Archived 2007 10 14 at the Wayback Machine Another Hindu girl abducted forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan s Sindh family stages protest www timesnownews com Archived from the original on 25 September 2019 Retrieved 25 September 2019 Hindu medical student found dead in Pakistan hostel brother alleges foul play Hindustan Times 17 September 2019 Archived from the original on 25 September 2019 Retrieved 25 September 2019 Definition of Minority Merriam Webster Retrieved 6 February 2020 Hacker Helen Mayer 1951 Women as a Minority Group Social Forces 30 1 60 69 doi 10 2307 2571742 JSTOR 2571742 Shachar Ayelet 2001 Multicultural jurisdictions cultural differences and women s rights Cambridge UK Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0511040801 OCLC 56216656 Women U N 2018 Annual Report 2017 2018 Political recognition of Roma People in Spain Social Impact WORKALo The creation of new occupational patterns for cultural minorities the Gypsy Case 2001 2004 Framework Programme 5 FP5 SIOR Social Impact Open Repository Archived from the original on 5 September 2017 Opinion of the Council of Europe s Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in particular paragraphs 37 43 Archived 2007 06 16 at the Wayback Machine For example J A Lindgren Alves member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination speaking at the Committee s 67th Session Summary Record of the 1724th Meeting 23 August 2005 CERD C SR 1724 See Henrard K 2000 Devising an Adequate System of Minority Protection Individual Human Rights Minority Rights and the Right to Self Determination Martinus Nijhoff pp 218 224 ISBN 978 9041113597 Archived from the original on 28 February 2017 Retrieved 27 February 2017 External links EditUnion of Minority Shareholders ECMI European Centre for Minority Issues Minority language tool What is a Minority Group definitions from Dayton Law School 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 an annual report by Minority Rights Group International American Psychological Association s Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs The Protection of Minorities in Europe Minorities ABC Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Minority group amp oldid 1127088331, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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