Summary.

Ethnic Myth: Race, Ethnicity, and Class in America.

An American sociologist, Stephen Steinberg, writes the book focusing more on contemporary sociology. As a distinguished professor, practicing at Queens College, Stephen makes a robust criticism of sociology. His work boldly challenges the prevailing thoughts regarding ethnicity and race in the American society marred with centuries-old race relations paradigm; popularized before the Civil Rights Revolution. Steinberg delves into the concept of race and looks at it in different perspectives. According to him, even the language of race perpetuates inequality and racial hierarchies. Over the years most sociologists have concentrated on the interests and viewpoints of the white people, what Stephen terms “white sociology,” and questions what becomes of the victims when the generations of the sociologists primarily focus on the perpetrators of racism. Ethnicity according to Steinberg has worked against the speculations of the traditional sociologists, who predicted possible assimilation of the different groups of individuals. Instead, immigration has continued widening the gaps between the Latinos and Asians, the black peoples of African descent, and the blacks in general. Several concerns regarding the future nationality and relations of the Americans raises questions, especially the gaps between those achieving their American pursuits, and those failing at large. Therefore, the author criticizes the beliefs, and explanations given by former sociologists about class, ethnicity, and racism in America.

While earlier sociological propositions and viewpoints links cultural values and ethnic traits to the differential economic prosperity among groups, racial preferences and ethnic groupings in America, Stephen focuses on class conflict, economic and historical factors, locality, as well as selective migration, which he believes are the central causes of varying success rates between individuals in America. Challenging the sustained orthodoxies on ethnicity and race, Steinberg focuses mostly on academic and other popular discourses. The cultural analysis in sociology has been marginalized in the sociological study of racial and ethnic inequality. Stephen notes that culture dominates historical studies, but unacknowledged in inequality studies. Steinberg set to answer questions, which includes how discrimination and inequality produce results into ethnic and racial meanings, how Americans interests receive influence from racial and ethnic cultures, and perceptions in life, and ways through which immigration affects ethnic cultures in the United States.

Stephen’s classic work points to the significance of culture in the sociological comprehension of ethnicity and race by focusing on immigration, socioeconomic mobility among others, as opposed to ethnic values. According to Steinberg, the sociological study of ethnicity and race ought to be broader, deeper and bolder. Understanding the economic differences as well require a close inquiry and analysis of how culture shape interests. Scholars have tended to analyze national cultures and ethnicity with little or no interests at all on the disadvantaged groups. Stephen however, focus on observable variations and patterns using a comparative approach to understand the American culture. On the success of the American pursuits, cultural values, and practices of the economically disadvantaged lack values of achievement. Regarding ethnic myths, for instance, Steinberg argues that aesthetic propositions were purely based on conventions that different groups share the same educational levels and skills. Stephen rejects comparisons such as Jews being academically oriented compared to Catholics. Culture traits vary from one group to another and is not a force that defines the ethnic elements of different groups. Stephen further notes the independence and reality of specific cultural traits, for example, absenteeism and tardiness at work.

Back in 1974, Professor Steinberg settled on Gunnar Myrdal’s fact about the restoration ofethnicity, terming it as just a pure “intellectual romanticism.” Stephen Steinberg in his thought disagrees with the idea that ethnicity can be restored having cited the historical conflicts that existed between cultural and ethnic myths and misconception as a way of supporting his stand.

According to him, the revival of ethnicity will not only lead to diversity, but it may also drastically lead to the death of togetherness. People are viewed in terms of their races, ethnic background, and societal codes. He points out this to be a significant disadvantage to the economic growth since people settle most on considering these factors when recruiting workforces and when specializing in occupational studies. Besides, Stephen highlights that there are many vices linked to the restoration of ethnicity, some of which includes exploitation of foreign labor, slavery, and increase in poverty level mainly to the foreign immigrants due to racism. This is a threat to social and economic development since some of the ‘slaves’ in question may feel neglected and unfit in American society.

The author also condemns strongly a myth of ethnic success, whichis seen to be supported by the majority of the American people. He is opposed to this by pointing out Jewish Horatio’s story, which provides a piece of evidence that ethnic success is because of industrial innovations and various professional skills which were authenticated to have been brought about by the foreign immigrants. The author further states that Irish women than Italian women mainly occupied domestic chores. This is because Ireland as a nation has single mothers in excess and they opted to give out some of them to America to do cleaning and other household chores. Italy on the other hand, has less single women, implying that only a few of them were able to offer domestic services. However, it is realized later in the book that the Irish women together with their daughters rejected offering these services and diverting their attention to working in the industries as well as participating in the trade or huge profit businesses. To this effect, Steinberg states that if a society neglects doing certain jobs and directs them to another specific group of individuals, it is not that they are civilized but,it is their pride that dictates them.

The American women consider themselves to be in a higher class compared to the Irish and the Italians women, which is why they prefer office related jobs. The class difference was set by then by giving contemplation to race and origin; Americans considering their country as a superpower. This means that their economy is left to be developed by foreigners but not them. The author does not thoroughly outdo the effects of culture and says that ethnicity itself is not a myth to some extent. A question is hence formulated in the book: can ethnic identification be more than a palliative for spiritual yearnings that are not fulfilled elsewhere?

Steinberg thinks it is not. He says that a conviction that the past cultural codes can give a more contented impression to protect us from today’s displeasures is the eventual ethical myth.

Reference.

Steinberg, S. (2001). The Ethnic Myth: Race, Ethnicity, and Class in America. Boston: Beacon Press.

Do you need high quality Custom Essay Writing Services?