In the article Rethinking the Concept of Minority: A task for Social Scientists and Practitioners Wilkinson, (2000) discusses major points which aim to expound on the minority concept in various contexts. The first context where the author expounds on the term minority is feminism. Here, the term has been used to highlight how some genders are regarded as superior to others. The inferior gender, in this case, is the female gender which is regarded as the “Minority concept,” but the author does question the validity of this point. For example, other demographic factors come into play where ethnic groups and the issue of race play a major factor in denouncing this point.
The second point discussed by Wilkinson (2000) is how the “minority concept” has been used in American sociology. Here the vocabulary has been used to refer to various ethnic groups, and to be specific, the term has been used to refer to inferior races. In this context, it has been used to refer to Blacks, Latinos, and other Non-white races residing in the US.
The third point discussed by Wilkinson (2000) is how the “Minority Concept” has been used in politics. In this context, the people out of the government form a major part of the opposition, and they are regarded as the “minority” groups. Here the concept is discussed in reference to the marginalized individuals in politics. They lack the power to be of major influence, but their inputs keep the government in line.
The fourth point discussed by Wilkinson (2000) is the deficiencies of the “minority’ concept. Looking at the above points where the words are used, there are contexts where the word is more divisive to society. In many contexts, the word only segregates specific characteristics of society, and it is not used in combination with other factors. The author recommends doing away with the whole “Minority concept” as it creates more divisions in society, for example, on the issue of race, which is highly sensitive.
References
Wilkinson, D. (2000). Rethinking the Concept of Minority: A Task for Social Scientists Practitioners. J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare, 27, 115.