A
African-American (adj) - Relating to the culture of African
American
African
American (n) - 1. Refers to Black individuals living in the
United States with African ancestry. 2. Refers to
individuals of African heritage living in the United States having
similar experiences, culture heritage and ancestry of former
slaves.
Ageism (n) -
Discrimination of individuals based on their age, i.e. of the
elderly based on the notion that they are incapable of performing
certain functions such as driving, or of the young based on the
notion that they are immature and therefore incapable of
performing certain tasks.
Ally (n) - An
individual that supports the struggles of a group; not part of the
group him/herself.
Anti-Semitism (or
Anti-Semitism) (n) - Hatred toward Jews; prejudicial belief in
the "racial" or religious inferiority of Jews. The term itself was
first used in 1879.
Asian-American (adj)
- Relating to the culture of Asian Americans.
Asian American
(n) - Refers to individuals living in the United States with Asian
ancestry.
B
Bisexual (n) -
Individuals attracted to members of the male and female sex.
C
Class (n) -
Category of division based on economic status; members of a class
are theoretically assumed to possess similar cultural, political
and economic characteristic and principles.
Classism (n) -
Discrimination based on class.
D
Diaspora (n) - A
historical dispersion of a group of people deriving from similar
origins, i.e. the African Diaspora includes African Americans,
Africans, Afro-Russians, Black Brazilians, Afro-Latinos etc...
Disadvantaged
(n) - 1. A historically oppressed group having less than
sufficient resources to fund all basic needs; without expendable
income. 2. A group characterized by disproportionate economic,
social, and political disadvantages.
Discrimination
(n) - A biased decision based on a prejudice against an individual
group characterized by race, class, sexual orientation, age,
disabilities, etc...
Diversity (n) -
A situation that includes representation of multiple (ideally all)
groups within a prescribed environment, such as a university or a
workplaces. This word most commonly refers to differences between
cultural groups, although it is also used to describe differences
within cultural groups, e.g. diversity within the Asian-American
culture includes Korean Americans and Japanese Americans. An
emphasis on accepting and respecting cultural differences by
recognizing that no one culture is superior to another underlies
the current usage of the term.
E
Emigrant (n) -
One who leaves his/her country of origin to reside in a foreign
country.
Essentialism (n)
- The practice of categorizing a group based on an artificial
social construction that imparts an "essence" of that group, which
homogenizes the group and effaces individuality an difference.
Ethnicity (n) -
a quality assigned to a specific group of people historically
connected by a common national origin or language. Ethnic
classification is used for identification rather than
differentiation.
Ethnocentrism
(n) - A practice of unconsciously or consciously privileging a
certain ethnic group over others. This involves judging other
groups by the values of one's own group.
Eurocentrism (n)
- The practice of unconsciously or consciously privileging the
culture of Europe over other cultures.
European-American
(adj) - Relating to the culture of European Americans.
European American
(n) - An individual living in the United States with European
ancestry.
F
Feminism (n) -
Movement advocating equal rights, status, ability, and treatment
of women, based on the belief that women are not in any way
inferior to men.
G
Gay (n) - A male
homosexual.
Gay (adj) -
Pertaining to male homosexuality.
Gender (n) -
System of sexual classification based on the social construction
of the categories "men" and "women," as opposed to sex which is
based on the biological and physical differences which form the
categories "male" and "female."
Glass ceiling
(n) - Term for the maximum position and salary some claim
minorities and women are allowed to reach without any chances of
further promotion or advancement within an employment scenario.
H
Heterosexism (n)
- Social structures and practices which serve to elevate and
enforce heterosexuality while subordinating or suppressing other
forms of sexuality.
Heterosexual (adj)
- Pertaining to individuals of the opposite sex.
Hispanic-American
(adj) - Pertaining to Americans with direct ancestry from
Hispanic, or Spanish-speaking countries.
Hispanic American
(n) - Individuals living in the Unites States with ancestry from
Hispanic, that is Spanish-speaking countries.
Homosexual (adj)
- Individuals attracted to members of one's own sex.
I
Immigrant (n) -
A person who resides in a nation, country, or region other than
that of his/her origin. Also known as a nonnative, outlander,
outsider, alien, etc...(ant. emigrant)
Indigenous (adj)
- Originating from a culture with ancient ties to the land in
which a group resides.
J
Jew(s) (n) -
Members of a people based on a background of shared historical
experience and of religious heritage (Judaism). Membership is
through birth or conversion. Not all Jews are religious. Most
North American Jews are descended from immigrants from Eastern
Europe. Jews can be understood in both ethnic and religious terms.
L
Latino/a (n) -
Individual living in the United States originating from, or having
a heritage relating to Latin America.
Lesbian (n) -
Female homosexual.
Lesbian (adj) -
Pertaining to female homosexuality.
M
Minority (n) -
Term used to describe a group that represents a relatively smaller
percentage of the overall population of a nation/state/continent
etc...
Multiculturalism
(n) - The practice of acknowledging and respecting the various
cultures, religions, races, ethnicities, attitudes and opinions
within an environment.
N
National origin
(n) - System of classification based on nation from which a person
originates, regardless of the nation in which he/she currently
resides.
Native-American
(adj) - Refers to the descendents of the various indigenous
populations that occupied the land now designated America.
Neo-Colonialization
(n) - Term for contemporary policies adopted by international and
western "1st world" nations and organizations that exert
regulation, power, and control over poorer "3rd world" nations
disguised as humanitarian help or aid. These policies are distinct
but related to the "original" period colonization of Africa, Asia,
and the Americans by European Nations.
O
Oriental (adj) -
Relating to or deriving from the language, traditions, or cultures
of the peoples of Asian nations in the region designated as "the
Orient," or "the East," by Europeans. This term is conspicuously
eurocentric as "the East" is constructed as being opposed to a
fixed reference point, "the West," or western Europe.
P
Pan-Africanism
(n) - 1. Describes the theory relating to teh desire to educate
all peoples of the African diaspora of their common plight and the
connections between them, e.g. a problem faced by one group
affects the lives of other groups as well. 2. Theory relating to
the desire to link all African countries across the continent
through a common government, language, ideology, or belief.
People of color
(n) - A term used to describe all non-white racial or ethnic
groups.
Prejudice (v) -
Exerting bias and bigotry based on uniformed stereotypes.
Privilege (n) -
Power and advantages benefiting a group derived from the
historical oppression and exploitation of other groups.
Q
Queer (v) - an
umbrella term that can refer to anyone who transgresses societie's
view of gender or sexuality.
Questioning (n)
- a term used to refer to an individual who is uncertain of
his/her sexual identity.
R
Race (n) - 1.
Classification of humans based on genetic characteristics. 2.
Classification of people based on common nationality, history, or
experiences.
Racism (n) - An
act of discrimination based on an ideology of racial superiority.
Religion (n) -
1. An organized belief system based on certain tenets of faith. 2.
A belief in a supreme supernatural force or god(s).
S
Sex (n) - System
of sexual classification based on biological and physical
differences, such as primary and secondary sexual characteristics,
forming the categories "male" and "female" as opposed to gender
which is based on the social construction of the categories "men"
and "women."
Stereotype (v) -
To categorize people based on an artificial construction of a
certain group designed to impart the "essence" of that group,
which homogenizes the group, effacing individuality and
difference.
Social
constructionism (n) - A perception of an individual, group, or
idea that is "constructed" through cultural and social practice,
but it appears to be "natural," or "the way things are." For
example, the idea that women "naturally" like to do housework is a
social construction because this idea appears "natural" due to its
historical repetition, rather than it being "true" in any
essential sense.
T
Tolerance (n) -
Acceptance and open-mindedness to different practices, attitudes,
and cultures; does not necessarily mean agreement with the
differences.
U
V
W
X
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