The Color of Water

TWO of the following major factors (social institutions, social problems, social inequality, historical factors) played a major role in shaping their identity of both Ruth and James.

Hi All,

Looking for TWO of the following major factors (social institutions, social problems, social inequality, historical factors) played a major role in shaping their identity of both Ruth and James.

1. Social institutions:

Religion: What was the role of the religious organizations (Christian & Jewish)? Belief

systems/ideology? Religious communities?

Family: Siblings, family structure/“blended” family, Socialization style: practices & philosophy,

Kinship networks

Economy: How did jobs affect the family? How did the shift from the “family mode” to

be “labor mode” of production shape the family?

2. Social problems:

Sexual abuse, drugs, crime, others (identify them carefully and describe their effect on

the family).

3. Social inequality:

Race & ethnicity:

How did the experience of racism shape the identity of James? Why did James see himself

as black?

How did the experience of discrimination against Jews shape the identity of Ruth? Why

did Ruth prefer to spend her life with black people? In what sense were Jews treated as

being nonwhite (a racial-ethnic group)?

How did being the child of an interracial couple shape the identity of James?

Gender:

To what extent did Ruth and her husbands follow traditional gender roles? Were they reversed?

Androgynous?

Social class: (do not repeat that which you have covered in part 1)

4. Historical factors:

Social movements: Civil Rights (Martin Luther King, Malcolm X., Black Power, Black

Panthers, women’s movement, counterculture/“hippies”

War: World Wars I & II, Vietnam

Urban Migration

Cultural changes: music, dress, hair

This is for a class but I am having really hard time with it... Any ideas would be appreciated... Thanks

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