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The term minority group has an array of meanings. However, the key element in every definition is the relative lack of power. Traditionally, minority group referred to racial and ethnic groups. Anthropologist Charles Wagley and Marvin Harris identified five defining elements of a minority group in 1964:

1. The group is a subordinate segment within a political unit that receives unequal treatment compared to other groups.

2. It has easily identifiable and devalued physical and/or cultural traits.

3. It has a sense of peoplehood and a feeling of self-consciousness.

4. Membership is by descent; one is born into the group.

5. Marriage occurs within the group, by necessity or by choice.

The first element is the most important. A subordinate segment simply refers to relative powerlessness or oppression. Identifiable and devalued traits refer to things such as skin color, language, or dress. A sense of peoplehood means that members of the minority groups are aware that they are part of a separate group. Membership by descent means that one is usually born into such a group and the group is like a caste; one cannot easily move out of the group. Marriage within the group by necessity or choice reveals much about the notion of minority group. Some groups at some times want and desire only marriage within. At other times, other groups forbid members of the minority group to out-marry. For example, in the United States, African Americans were not allowed to marry whites in many states until 1967, when state laws prohibiting intermarriage were declared unconstitutional.

This classical definition lends itself to the traditional notion of minority groups. Examples of such groups today would be African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans. If we turned the clock back to 1900, many other ethnic groups would be defined as minority groups, including Jewish Americans, Italian Americans, Polish Americans, and others.

A shorter definition of minority groups is oppressed ethnic and racial groups. Again, we can see that racial and ethnic groups who are or were lacking in power fit this definition as well.

It should be noted that some social scholars emphasize the first element of the definition alone. Doing so increases the types and numbers of minority groups, for many groups can demonstrate a lack of power, not just racial and ethnic groups. Women certainly can show a lack of power using such measures as income, wealth, education, housing, and political representation. Gays also evidence gaps in many of those areas. Using only the first element of the definition--relative lack of power--many other groups could also qualify as minority groups: college students, left-handed people, the elderly, marijuana smokers, tobacco users, and so on.

Finally, although definitions of minority group vary widely, it is important to note that the term minority does not refer to numbers. Although minority groups in many countries are in fact smaller in numbers, this is not universally the case. Apartheid South Africa and the former Rhodesia illustrate that the minority group can be most of the population.

Bibliography:

1) Van den Berghe, Pierre L. 1978. Race and Racism. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley.

2) Wagley, Charles and Marvin Harris. 1964. Minorities in the New World. New York: Praeger.

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