Answer to Question 1
Symbolic interactionists focus their attention on a microlevel analysis that examines the meanings people give to religion in their everyday lives. For many people, religion serves as a reference group to help them define themselves. For example, religious symbols have meaning for large bodies of people. The Star of David holds special significance for Jews, just as the crescent moon and star do for Muslims and the cross does for Christians. For individuals as well, a symbol may have a certain meaning beyond that shared by the group. For instance, a symbolic gift given to a child may have special meaning when he or she grows up and faces war or other crises. It may not only remind the adult of a religious belief but also create a feeling of closeness with a relative who is now deceased. Not all people interpret religion in the same way. In virtually all religions, women have much less influence in establishing social definitions of appropriate gender roles both within the religious community and in the larger community.
Therefore, women and men may belong to the same religious group, but their individual religion will not necessarily be a carbon copy of the group's entire system of beliefs. Women's versions of a certain religion probably differ markedly from men's versions. Religious symbolism and language typically create a social definition of the roles of men and women. Many women resist the subordination that they have experienced in organized religion. They have worked to change the existing rules that have excluded them or placed them in a clearly subordinate position.
Answer to Question 2
Assimilation is a process by which members of subordinate racial and ethnic groups
become absorbed into the dominant culture. Assimilation occurs in several distinct
levels. (1) Cultural assimilation or acculturation occurs when members of an ethnic
group adopt dominant-group traits, such as language, dress, values, religion, and food
preferences. Cultural assimilation in the United States initially followed an Anglo
conformity model members of subordinate ethnic groups were expected to conform
to the culture of the dominant white Anglo-Saxon population. (2) Structural assimilation
or integration occurs when members of subordinate racial or ethnic groups gain
acceptance in everyday social interaction with members of the dominant group. This
type of assimilation typically starts in large, impersonal settings such as schools and
workplaces. (3) Biological assimilation or amalgamation occurs when members of one
group marry those of other social or ethnic groups. (4) Psychological assimilation
involves a change in racial or ethnic self-identification on the part of an individual.
Rejection by the dominant group may prevent psychological assimilation by members of
some subordinate racial and ethnic groups, especially those with visible characteristics
such as skin color or facial features that differ from those of the dominant group.
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