Homophily and social segregation

• Introduction:  Living together, but apart
  • Residential segregation by race
  • Occupational segregation by gender
  • Sociable interaction by age
• Why homophily?
  • Homans' theory
  • Segregation dynamics:  Schelling's (Micromotives and Macro Behavior)
  • Peter Blau: The mathematics of separation
• Models of inter-group relations:
  • General block model
  • Constant homophily
  • Variable homophily
  • Core and periphery
• So what?
  • Individual identity and interpersonal conflict/competition
  • Group identity/solidarity and group conflict/competition

Review Questions

1. Clustering in graphs of social networks is commonly found.  Explain how homophily could account for such an outcome.
2. Briefly explain Homans' theory, and provide an example.
3. Schelling showed that residential segregation is the expected outcome, even when members of each group were quite tolerant of living in "mixed" neighborhoods.  Explain why this occurs.
4. According to Blau's theory of group size and interaction, are the members of a small minority, or are the members of a large majority more likely to interact with members of the other group?
5. Sketch a blocked diagram for a matrix with three groups.  Show expected block densities that would be consistent with the "constant homophily" model, the "variable homophily" model, and a model that showed no tendency toward homphily.
6. How do the pattern of ties within the group differ between the "core" and the "periphery" groups in a core-periphery block model of group interaction?

Application Questions

Find data on the patterns of residential segregation by ethnicity for the community you live in (try web searches, or see your government publications reference librarian).  What theories might explain the pattern?

If interaction with others who you believe to be "different" from you strengthens your sense of how different you are, would we expect European Americans or African Americans to have a stronger sense of ethnic identity?  Why?

The theory of homophily suggests that there is a stronger tendency to form social ties with others who are regarded as similar, than there is a tendency to form ties with others who are regarded as different.  Consider the relationships among business organizations.  Does the theory seem to apply?  If not, why not?

Some theorists describe the economic relationships among nations in the global economy as "unequal exchange" and "dependency" between "core" nations (rich, post-industrial), "semi-peripheral" nations (moderately wealthy, industrial), and "peripheral" nations (poor, raw material producing).  Are these "World Systems" theorists using the terms "core" and "periphery" in the same way that network analysts do?