Ethnicity refers to social belonging based on shared cultural traits such as ancestry, language, traditions, and history. It is not a biological category but a social and cultural construct that shapes identity, difference, and group relations.
🌍 Definition
- Ethnicity: A concept marking identification with a group through perceived shared attributes (culture, ancestry, language, religion, customs, or history).
- Rooted in the Greek ethnos (“people” or “nation”).
- Unlike race, which is often framed in terms of physical traits, ethnicity emphasizes cultural and social dimensions of identity.
🔑 Key Characteristics
- Shared Traits: Language, religion, traditions, cuisine, dress, rituals.
- Collective Identity: Ethnic groups often see themselves as distinct communities.
- Social Boundaries: Ethnicity marks both belonging and difference.
- Fluidity: Ethnic identities can shift over time due to migration, intermarriage, or political change.
📚 Anthropology & Social Science Perspectives
- Constructed Identity: Ethnicity is socially constructed, not biologically fixed.
- Colonial & Political Contexts: Ethnic categories often emerge or are reinforced through colonial administration, census-taking, and state policies.
- Intersection with Race & Nationality: Ethnicity overlaps with but is distinct from race (physical traits) and nationality (legal citizenship).
- Endogamy & Kinship: Many ethnic groups maintain identity through marriage patterns, kinship ties, and cultural continuity.
🛠 Examples
- Ethnic Groups: Han Chinese, Yoruba, Navajo, Basques, Kurds.
- Diaspora Communities: Armenian, Jewish, or Somali diasporas maintain ethnic identity across borders.
- Hybrid Identities: Multicultural societies foster mixed or fluid ethnic identities.
✨ Summary
Ethnicity is about cultural belonging and difference, defined by shared traits and histories rather than biology. It is central to anthropology, sociology, and politics, shaping how communities understand themselves and interact with others.
Sources: Open Encyclopedia of Anthropology – Ethnicity, Britannica – Ethnicity, Wikipedia – Ethnicity, Understanding Ethnicity in Anthropology, Discovering Cultural Anthropology – Race and Ethnicity.
