The concept of social minority concerns, in the social sciences, a portion of the population that is, in some way, marginalized, that is, excluded from the socialization process . They are groups that, in general, are composed of a large number of people (most of the time, they are the absolute majority in numbers), but that are excluded due to issues related to social class , gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin , the size of special needs, among other reasons.
Read also: Alterity – recognition of different cultures and subjectivities
Minority groups
Contemporary capitalist societies tend to develop certain elitist patterns of categorizing what is “normal”. There is a standard of living sold as the best, in addition to a standard of socially regarded behavior as the norm. This is called standardization . Minorities are social sectors that escape the various norms imposed and, however contradictory it may seem, they are the majority in absolute numbers.
The capitalist sells the idea that anyone who does not meet the regulatory classification system has no value, is to be reduced. The interesting thing is that normative standards serve as a way to maintain the hegemony of the dominant classes . The normative standard of excellence in this system is maintained by white people, with high traces of a misogynist system, from middle to upper class, heterosexuals, considered productive, etc.
The exclusion of social minorities is a problem in the contemporary world, which requires more integration and equality.
Minority groups, in this area of normative standards, are several. There is a search for the representativeness of these groups in the domination scenario. See below for a listing of some of these groups.
Ethnic minorities
Ethnicities that shy away from the standardized denomination generally live a life away from the leading role of power systems , whether political, intellectual or financial. The ethnic hegemonies of power, despite being widespread with the growth of capitalism, were first established in the modern world with the intercontinental displacement of Europeans and the consequent colonization of other territories outside Europe. The Europeans tried to dominate the territories and, with this, use the form of racist ideological domination : placing the other (ethnicity different from white) as inferior.
Here in Brazil, we can highlight, mainly, black and indigenous ethnic minorities.
· Indigenous
Indigenous people are ethnic minorities in Brazil and the Americas. [1]
Historical inhabitants of pre-colonial Brazil, the Indians were the owners of the land we inhabit today . The Portuguese arrived here and, in order to explore the riches of the land, they began a long and intense process of decimation of indigenous ethnicities. Today the Indians are an absolute minority in numbers and also a social minority.
Indians are no longer able to maintain their traditional way of life (based on tribal life and subsistence through hunting and fishing). Society grew and pushed over the Indians who still resist in the villages the way of life they call “civilized”. In the process, many indigenous people and descendants (mestizo or not) were assimilated into white culture. However, this ethnic minority remains distant from the spaces of power .
Don’t stop now … There’s more after the publicity;)
See also: Indigenous culture – an important part of Brazilian culture rejected by ethnocentrism
· Black
Blacks, originally from the African continent , were taken to the world between the 16th and 19th centuries to be enslaved. This left consequences for the formation of societies on all continents outside Africa (racism, discrimination and the marginalization of the black population) and left the misery caused by domination and colonialism within the European continent. This, of course, led to the construction of societies that left blacks at the margin of the mechanisms of power .
National minorities
National minorities are minority groups that develop, often due to ethnicity , within state political systems that exclude certain groups. We can consider that Brazilian Indians are a kind of ethnic minority that developed on the margins, but they are not a national minority. Just as Jews were in Europe before Nazism (with remnants, they still are), national minorities are peoples relegated to the neglect of States for not being recognized as citizens of that State.
National minorities share ethnicity, culture , religion and customs in a given location. The people Gypsies are national minorities in some European countries, as well as the Basque people s are minorities in Italy, Spain and France. As with the aforementioned Jews , national minorities are made up of peoples who do not fit into the culture of a country and are not recognized as part of that nation’s culture and citizenship as integral citizens. Basques and Jews (before the creation of the State of Israel for Jews) are nationalities without a country, without territory.
The creation of the State of Israel , curiously committed to solving the problem of the Jews, created a new national minority: the Palestinians, who live in Israel (and have lived there before) and are not included in that country’s formulation.
Low-income population
Worldwide, especially in capitalist countries, but not in socialist countries, the low-income population represents a large part of social minorities . In the case of Brazil, people living on low incomes and, in the worst and most numerous cases, in absolute poverty (people below the poverty line) are the majority in numbers . Politics and spaces of power are designed around the world for the rich. No matter how minor social inequalities are in one place or another, there will always be poverty as long as economic systems are maintained as they are.
The masses of poor people live poorly around the world , especially in developing countries. They are hungry, they do not have access to decent and necessary food for the maintenance of a healthy life, they do not have access to basic sanitation, they do not have access to culture and education. In addition to the current problem related to poverty, there is a problem of maintaining poverty . Poor people are not given a real chance to overcome their living conditions, except for rare exceptions or a really extraordinary effort by those who are in a miserable situation.
It is relatively easy for a child of the middle or upper class, with good nutrition and good basic education to have professional and financial success. For a low-income child who does not have adequate food, who does not have basic sanitation at home, who shares a small, warm and cramped house with the rest of the family and who does not have access to good basic education and culture, the task of having financial success becomes an almost unachievable job.
Apparently, the best ways to solve misery are income transfer programs to solve the emerging problem of hunger and housing, in addition to investment in basic infrastructure (sanitation) and, in particular (and in the long term), investment in public and quality education.
Access also: Human Rights – category of basic rights guaranteed to all human beings
Social minorities and the struggle for rights
As much as there is social exclusion – by social class, color, gender or sexuality – there is also a reaction to this exclusion . In this sense, arise and fall within the socia movements is important tools in the fight against exclusion and in favor of the distribution of power between all people. In the case of blacks , for example, we have historical social movements that fought against racism and in favor of the insertion of the black population in the power systems in Brazil. Initially, we had in the 19th century the Brazilian abolitionist movement , which involved blacks, browns and whites defending the total end of slavery in the country.
In the twentieth century, other movements and collectives emerged that aimed at ending racism and the insertion of black people in the world with equal opportunities. The anti-racism law and the quota law are examples of important achievements of these movements in contemporary Brazil.
Malcolm X was one of the leaders of the black movement in the United States.
Speaking of the gender issue , women have historically been excluded from power scenarios in the world for a long time (and still today, to a lesser extent in many countries, but still existing). A historic social movement in the fight against misogyny and in favor of gender equality was the feminist movement . There are, however, several feminist movements from different eras or even coexisting in the same historical moments. These differences in movements take into account other aspects that represent the concept of minority in other situations, such as social class and ethnicity.
The first feminist ideals rebelled against the misogynistic oppression of patriarchalism in the transition from the 18th to the 19th century and resulted in the first major movement in the transition from the 19th to the 20th century. It was the movement ‘s ufragista , which aimed to guarantee the right to vote and to women’s participation in the political environment. The movement was transforming and branching out, in the twentieth century, a wave that claimed the right to sexual freedom and branches that defend specific causes, such as that of black women.
In relation to sexuality , we have the formation of a social minority worldwide, the LGBTQ IA + community , a community formed by homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals and people who identify in a non-binary way with gender. This population, also historically excluded in most western and eastern countries by rooted foundations, mainly in religious and moral factors, is still strongly excluded from spaces of power and social acceptance.
As backward as it may seem, 70 countries in the world still criminalize homosexuality; 26 of them punish the act with prison for up to more than 10 years; and 6 of them punish homosexuality with the death penalty i | 1 | . The LGBTQIA + movements around the world are examples of focuses of fighting against the exclusion of these populations.
In relation to issues of economic and social exclusion , we have social movements that fight against inequality and against misery. An example of this type of movement in Brazil is the Landless Workers Movement ( MST ) and the Homeless Workers Movement ( MTST ), which fight for land reform and guarantee housing for all.