Ethnicity. It is a term charged with strong emotions, ranging from pride to hate, and one that is poorly understood in popular language. This term is often times confused with the term race, which was discussed in a previous blog post. It is important to note that there are fundamental differences between the terms race and ethnicity, particularly in terms of anthropological studies. Today's blog post is dedicated to the topic of ethnicity and clarifying the meaning of the term.
The term “ethnicity” was first used in the scholarly
literature between the 1940s and 1950s and since been adopted by several
different disciplines (Banks, 1996; Eriksen, 1993; Sollors, 1996). The exact definition of ethnicity is
difficult to specify, but herein, ethnicity is defined here as groups sharing
several common characteristics, including common biological, cultural,
linguistic, ideological, historical, and national traits (cf. Banks, 1996;
Eriksen, 1993; Geertz, 1963; Hutchinson and Smith, 1996; Jones, 1997; Weber
1978). Scholars do recognize, however,
that not all of these characteristics may be represented in any given ethnic
group and the lack of one or more of these criteria does not negate the
existence of their ethnic identity (Eriksen, 1993). For example, individuals who identify ethnically as Jewish have a variety of citizenships, biological traits, and linguistic backgrounds, but these differences do not extinguish the Jewish identity associated with these individuals. Ethnicity can be visually represented through
a group’s material culture, common biological or racial appearance, or the
physical manipulation of the body. These
visual and physical markers of ethnicity are powerful representations used to
define, control, and maintain group identity both within and outside of the
group, and they dictate how members and nonmembers are required to interact
(Barth, 1969). The preference of these markers is often based on the cultural importance as well as availability of materials. For example, among indigenous groups of the Andes (the Quechua and the Aymara) who look biologically similar, clothing and textiles is readily utilized to distinguish ethnic identity (Figure 1).
 |
| Figure 1: Quecha Woman (Left); Aymara Women (Right) |
There exist two different theoretical factions on ethnicity
theory: primordialists and instrumentalists.
Primordialists believe that ethnicity is a natural and unchanging
phenomenon. They assert that ethnic groups
are formed by ties that are strong, unconditional, and nonnegotiable, which
permanently bond the members of ethnic group together (Banks, 1996; Geertz, 1963).
For example, ethnic individuals distinguished by a particular physical trait (e.g. skin color) cannot ever escape their ethnic label (regardless of if they wish to or not). Instrumentalists believe the exact opposite: that ethnicity is a social,
economic, and political tool that is adopted and discarded in order to protect
the identity of the ethnic group ( Hutchinson and Smith, 1996). For example, throughout United States history many immigrant groups who were indistinguishable from mainstream Americans anglicized their names, purposefully changed their accents, and adopted mainstream American cultural traditions and values as a means of escaping prejudice and persecution. Within the social science disciplines, neither school of thought is preferred, but both has its strengths and weaknesses as well as supporting evidence. These two schools of thought allow variability in the study of ethnic identity, which increases our understanding of this very complex subject.
References:
Banks M. 1996. Ethnicity:
Anthropological Constructions.
Routledge: London.
Barth F. 1969. Introduction.
In Ethnic Groups and Boundaries: The
Social Organization of Cultural Difference, Barth F (ed.). George Allen and Unwin: London; 9-38.
Eriksen
TH. 1993. Ethnicity
and Nationalism. Pluto Press: London.
Geertz C. 1963. Peddler
and Princes: Social Development and Economic Change in Two Indonesian Towns. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Hutchinson
J and Smith AD. 1996. Introduction.
In Ethnicity, Hutchinson J and Smith AD
(eds.). Oxford
University Press: Oxford; 3-16.
Jones
S. 1997.
The Archaeology of Ethnicity:
Constructing Identities in the Past and Present. New
York: Routledge.
Sollors W. 1996. Foreword: theories of American
ethnicity. In Sollors W (ed). Theories
of Ethnicity: A Classical Reader.
Mac Millan Press Ltd: London;
x-xlv.
Weber M. 1978. Ethnic groups. In Economy
and Society, vol. 1, Roth G and Wittich C (eds.). University
of California Press, Los Angeles; 389-395.
46 comments:
So how exactly would you ask a person about their cultural background? Would you say something like, "What is your ethnicity?" or "Where does your family come from?" I feel like asking someone something like that might be a little to personal. I always have trouble asking someone who does not look white where they are from because sometimes they just say they are "from here," and then I end up saying something stupid like "What are you?"
My first reaction to this inquiry is, "Why does it matter?" As I talked about in the gender lecture & post about my neighbor that everyone was so confused about, cultures put arbitrary labels on certain identities, such as gender, race, and ethnicity, and for better or worse, often times there are values attached to those labels. In our (American) culture, we tend to emphasize White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs), a definition which includes another form of identity-religious, and if you are unsure about the accuracy of that statement, look at the race/ethnicity of who is running major companies in the US, on prime time TV shows, mainstream magazines, leading major news agencies, and the list of our past presidents. Then compare that list to the number and depictions of minorities (nonwhites, nonWASPs) seen in those same venues, particularly the news. We will get into specifics when we talk about the chapter associated with race and ethnicity, and you will have an assignment associated with this topic, as well.
But to answer your question, how does one ask, there really isn't a right answer. I think you need to question your motives for why you want to know, and if you feel that those motivations are not laden with prejudice (conscious or unconscious) then there are polite ways of asking. But I do want to point out that just because someone is "white" does not mean that they are not of another ethnic group. For example, when I first took on the position I currently hold, I met one of my coworkers who was a tanned blonde woman with a Hispanic sounding last name. I assumed that she was Hispanic because of her last name, but when she talked she had a noticeable accent that I recognized as not being Spanish in origin. I politely asked her where her accent was from, and it turned out that she was Polish. We have since become great friends because I am German, as well as American, so we bonded over our experiences growing up in Europe, but as I have since found out, she married a man of Hispanic origins, hence the last name. I use this anecdote to highlight the fluid nature of ethnic labels we associate with people and how what we assume may not always be correct (or fair, depending on the situation).
Hm.. Ethnicity and race are quite complex.. Great blog though !
-Cajen
This is an interesting concept, the way that individuals are perceived to be. I completely understand when you say that some individuals may become offended, I know for a fact that some Hispanics get irritated or even angry when asked if they are Mexican. They are just so closely categorized to that individual group, some individuals do not seem to realize that there are other places that a person can be from. So well said Dr. Boston, it should not matter where an individual is from.
-Cristian Rios
Thank you, Cristian. Race and ethnicity are very complex concepts, yet we like to categorize and stereotype groups of people. I have watched several friends get irritated at these rash stereotypes, and even myself have been annoyed by some of the things people say about both of my ethnicities (American & German). Hopefully you will remember the lessons demonstrated herein and start making a positive change in yourself that will inspire others to do the same. Cheers!
Thank you for providing further insight and clarification into race and ethnicity. I have always thought of both concepts as cloudy and difficult to define, so this blog post definitely helped me. Liliana's question reminded me of the many times I have been asked "So, what are you?" to which I usually chuckle and give a response resembling "Human, and you?" People are often confused, myself included, on how to seek information regarding how an individual identifies within a culture. I tend to give the information about where my family comes from geographically, but I don't necessarily identify with those ethnicities. This post's definition of ethnicity will make me rethink how I respond about my ethnic background in the future!
-Teisha
Its always interesting how people approach this subject, or throw around the word race, the other day while I was working we had a shoplifting incident and my manager asked me to identify the persons 'race', when she said that it helped me understand how people really do throw around that word, or put people into categories, after taking the anth course I didn't know how to answer her correctly, after learning the way people interpret someone just by looking at them I couldn't answer the question, I could always assume by what I saw what 'race' I believed they were but I didn't. after learning about how people take on the concept of race, who am I to group someone into a category. But I really enjoyed your blog, and playing the race game.-Micayla
Race and ethnicity are difficult to navigate in today's world, even for me, particularly when I work on forensics cases. We, as a society and culture, put so much importance and emphasis on race and ethnicity as identity markers, but people do not realize the cultural underpinnings of the terms and the social and cultural stigmas associated with them.
Case in point: The Boston Marathon bombers are phenotypically (physically) white, but reporters were loathed to say that because the bombers were terrorists and terrorists are "always Arab". So the reporters identified the bombers as "Muslims", which is a religion but is now being used as an ethnic identity signifier. This demonstrates several things: How we cling to racial and ethnic markers, their importance in signifying what is "Right vs Wrong" (with the identifier of "Muslim" now being seen as extremely negative, despite the fact that religions of all types have been used for negative means even though the religions themselves are not negative, and "White" as positive and unable to be associated with something negative), and how we continue to change racial and ethnic markers in order to meet social "needs" and desires.
It's a difficult thing to deal with and not one that will be easily solved. It will take a great deal of time, patience, and education to fully understand and solve the problem. Until then, do what you can and are most comfortable with in regards to what you learned in classes and your own personal beliefs.
As stated numerous times on this post, yes, race and ethnicity are sometimes improperly used and often times interchanged. However, they can be similar even though they are different. For example, certain foods and dress (ethnicity) typically fall under a certain race of people. This is probably initially due to close-knit groups. e.g. people who share the same culture or ethnicity are geographically close, hence suggesting that their gene pool consists of similar alleles, resulting in what we consider a "race". Obviously, this theory is observed less and less since in America we have such variability in regards to both culture and race. People migrate from all over the world to different places including here to start new lives with and for their families. This results in shared, altered, and even abandoned cultures, as well as a much larger gene pool giving us various and intermixed races of people. Because of this, I find it confusing that there are still individuals who take part in racism towards others for the mere fact that since our country has so much variability, the probability of the racist having similar genes as the person who they are biased against, is likely even if it is not suggested phenotypically. I find it frustrating that someone's race is considered more of an issue than someone else's ignorance.
Yes and no, Cassondra. Many of these notions of close genetic/biological affinity applied in the past when human populations were very spread out and unable (if not unwilling) to mate with individuals from very far off places (e.g. Native Americans in South America were not having babies with Dynastic Period Egyptians). But today as we've become much more interconnected, we see that there is quite a bit of global migration and individuals across the globe, not just America, are spreading their genes around. My dad is American and comes from several generations of Americans. My mother is German, and I am actually first generation American on her side of the family. My German family never immigrated to the US, yet here I am, a result of blending of two "distinct" groups. But how is it that my parents decided to get together and have me and my sister? Because their phenotypic traits were similar-they're both white, dark haired and eyed, were slender, similar blood types, etc. Despite coming from "distinct" groups, they had a lot of phenotypic similarities. When we discuss race, we focus too much on the phenotypic differences, but history and biology suggest that we haven't been that different ever. All humans share over 99% of the same DNA, meaning those phenotypic differences, many of which can change naturally or artificially (e.g. make up, plastic surgery, etc.), are not nearly as different as we think they are. It's a cultural perception. One that people must recognize as you pointed out in order to defeat racism and hate.
You said you're first reactions to my question was "why does it matter?" I think sometimes it does matter. It may not always matter but sometimes people just are curious about what a persons background it. People usually think I'm white or asian and I'll get asked "What are you?" or "What is your race?" I know what a person is asking when they ask me that but if I'm ever having a conversation with a person I am trying to get to know, I don't want to be that person saying "What are you?" I just thought there was a better way of asking a person. A person's ethnic background or race or whatever you want to call it doesn't determine how i see a person but it does interest me.
I see your point, but I think there are ways of getting to that information without outright asking "What are you?", which many people find rude. I think you can get to it organically through conversing with someone. Case in point, no one automatically assumes that I'm German, but I may mention something like, "When I was a kid in Germany" or I say something in German (e.g. Mannheim or Weisswurst) with a German accent/pronunciation and that usually broaches the subject of my German background. The key here is to realize that someone's appearance or name isn't necessarily an indicator of their background. As you pointed out, people confuse you as Caucasian or Asian. I had a student last semester who got very frustrated with the fact that because she had a Latino last name that people would start speaking Spanish to her immediately even though she herself never spoke and still does not speak Spanish. A member of her family is of Latino descent, but she was never raised in the culture and never learned the language. She hated that people assumed that about her, particularly given many of the negative stereotypes associated with being Latino.
Now I agree that a person's ethnic or racial background can be very fascinating. As an anthropologist, that's part of what is interesting about people and something I love to learn about, but I also remember that not everyone is what we initially expect them to be and that we (myself included) have to keep our assumptions in check and be open to learning about people for who they really are. As long as you're able to do that, then you're on the right track.
I actually don't have a problem with asking people about their ethnicity, but I don't believe I've ever just come straight out and asked "what's your ethnicity?" So many of my friends, whom I consider family, have different ethnic backgrounds. My three closest friends are Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian. I met these ladies 30 years ago, when we were 6 years old. At the age of 6, it was easy to ask because I was not aware that such questions could be taken as an insult. I asked, they answered. As time went on I spent time in their homes and learned more about their cultures. Now, as you mentioned Dr. Boston, I might ask about an accent, making unique clothing, etc. If I'm going to somebodies home, I like to ask about older family member at home, and customs or rules I should follow in their home so that myself or my children do not offend anyone. I'm not in the habit of asking strangers on the street about their ethnicity, but if I'm having a conversation, I tend to bring it up but I also explain that I love learning about new people. Most people are very happy to discuss themselves if you're respectful.
True, if asked respectfully, I am willing to answer just about anything, but often times those questions can be and often are very offensive, particularly depending on how the question is phrased. E.g. "Are you (insert ethnic group)?", which can be a huge cultural faus pas if there is a history of distrust or dislike among ethnic groups, such as among some Indians and Pakistanis. It's better to know than not know, particularly in contentious situations such as that, but there is a right way and a wrong way of getting that information.
After reading this blog I can now realize that I have unknowingly lived my life as a Primordialists the majority of my life. I did not know until just now the ethnicity and race are two different things. I hope to identify as an instrumentalist in the future. The are many different ethnic backgrounds within a given culture. We are not all programmed the same or share the same exact interests within a distinguished race. Looking at some of the ethnic traits of Americans it is easy to see how much of an instrumentalist type of ethnicity.
Primordial and instrumental approaches to ethnicity are not necessarily bad. They are just different ways of looking at ethnicity. Keep that in mind.
It seems like instrumental would be the more desirable of the two?
Not necessarily. Primordialists believe ethnicity is fixed and permanent, whereas instrumentalists believe it is impermanent and political. It's just two ways of looking at the same concept. It would be like arguing over which is the best way to prepare a potato: some like fries, some like mashed, and some like baked. None are right but none are wrong either. People can and will have preferences but no one's opinion ranks supreme.
Approaching the subjects of race and ethnicity are very complex. In todays world you can not just assume someone is white, black, Asian, or otherwise. Offense could be taken to any term that is used out of context. I, myself, would not have a terrible issue asking a person what ethnicity they are. If only to understand their culture more. I would also be thinking of why would it matter to me or anyone else what they are. The reason that I would be curious is most likely because I saw them do something or say something that interested me, not because I had to be nosey. This world is very diverse, and no it should not matter what anyone is, but some these days can and do mae a great big deal about differences.
If I had to pick a single theoretical faction on ethnicity theory that I most agree with, I’d have to go with instrumentalists. This faction seems to be more open to the idea of being an “ethnic chameleon” and allowing anyone to move in and out of different identities that they associate themselves with whenever the situation necessitates. I can think of several instances in my life where I’ve applied this practice, whether it was through ethnic heritage, association with others or even through hobbies, groups, etc., in which I saw immediate changes in perception based on which group I chose to identify myself with during introductions.
Also, I have to applaud those referenced in the example above where US immigrants reinvented themselves to escape oppression and harm. This adaptive assimilation gave these people a chance at a happier, safer life in America and I can’t blame them one iota for doing what they did. If my family or I were subjects of prejudice and/or persecution, I know that we would take any opportunity we could to reach for freedom.
Brian, you are correct when you say that instrumentalist recognize the "ethnic chameleon", but this means is only available to those who can do so. Individuals who have specific biological traits deeply associated with a specific ethnic identity (as culturally defined) do not have the option of readily changing or escaping the associations related to what people perceive them to be. Case in point, Sammy Sosa is a dark skinned Hispanic but many people recognize him as a African American.
Also, I have to disagree with your assertion that adaptive assimilation is a good thing. Adaptive assimilation as you have framed it is very narrow and does not recognize the very real and very negative aspects of assimilation. Particularly in our country, people, including new immigrants, have had to change their names (or forcibly had them changed), their languages, their customs, etc. in order to acquire employment, housing, educations, food, etc. in this country. Many German and Italian immigrants, particularly right after WWII, had to change their names, drop their accents, change their religions, drop their customs and traditions because of the negative perception of German and Italians at that time. Unfortunately these ideas haven't changed in certain geographical regions of the US either. When I came back to the US (as I am an Army Brat who hold citizenship in the US and Germany by blood and geography) I used to tell my peers where I was from (which was Germany), and a number of them shunned me and called me a Nazi. I learned very quickly to not speak German, not talk about my German heritage, and basically stop being German. Why? In order to fit in and not continue to be shunned. In this way I was practicing adaptive assimilation and denied and lost much of my German identity in the process. All so I could reside peacefully in the community and in my school. It's a process that I regret now, and I share this tale to demonstrate the negative aspects of something you think is positive. I encourage you to think further on the topic and begin to become more aware of how we "encourage" and force new immigrants of all sorts to become more American because I know that it continues to happen, even in Reno.
I think that humans are ever changing and it would be really sad to have to only be a certain way just because of what culture or ethnic background you come from. Who we start out as is not who we end up as.
I have all together stopped checking the boxes on personal history forms that question my "race" (most common) or "ethnicity." It does not matter and it is a tool to classify groups and gather statistics. As a person that has many different influences in their DNA, I find it to be less important. As DNA from different groups intermingles over long periods of time, it will be more difficult to assess ethnicity by phenotype.
Courteney Hedicke, Anth 101
ethnicity is such a huge problem here in USA, even though i was born here i still get crap because of my skin color which i think its so irrelevant even though that person doesn't know who i really am. we will always have a problem with this issue no matter. i think so people need to grow up.
briana banuelos
anthro 102 1001
Briana, what you speak of are the negative ideas and perceptions we have associated with culturally conceived concepts of race & ethnicity, and I believe we can change those ideas and perceptions with proper education, positive exposure, and time.
I am curious as to why primordialists and instrumentalists oppose their definition of ethnicity. I agree with the primordialists because I feel as thought ethnicity is part of your genetic make-up and therefore it is an ascribes status that is unchangeable but I could be wrong.
Zachary Forrester
anthro 101 3001 summer
Food for thought: how many people in March proudly don green and enthusiastically express they're Irish but never or rarely mention it the remainder of the year? That's an example of instrumental theory. Also, in the United States we have a long history of assimilationist practices where immigrants believed and often did deny their background(s) in order to survive here, which is also instrumental theory. So it may be that both are at play and neither is 100% correct.
I liked this paper. My family name wasn't changed by us in order to become more American, it was changed by the government on Ellis Island to make it more acceptable to them and easier to spell.
This brings to mind the movie "Bend It Like Beckham". I found it an interesting example of different ethnic groups being lumped together and how they viewed this. The family living in London found it frustrating that they were lumped in with the "Pakies" and did not want their daughter to marry outside her ethnicity. I have an adopted brother with a very light skinned mother and very dark skinned father (accurate description) raised in a community of mostly light skinned people. Definitions of race or ethnicity would all mean nothing in regards to him.
While I enjoyed the whole post, I was interested to learn about the two camps on ethnicity, Primordialists and instrumentalists. I can see how there would be evidence to support both sides. When I first read the post I leaned toward the instrumentalists’ view especially with the example that was given about immigrant groups that changed parts of their culture and history to became more “mainstream American”. Then I read the blog again and while reading the example of Jewish identity, I can see where the promodialists argument holds weight as well. SkyD
It seems that the Primordialists vs instrumentalists can both see common ground if they looked for it. It also seems that both are partly right and can be partially wrong, it all depends on the individual person or group. Humanity is so wildly varied in terms of culture, language,beliefs and practices, it seems that both these views and be right or wrong depending on the situation.
I don't know Polish, Russian, German or Italian because my immigrant grandparents wanted to fit in with American culture. Our names were changed as well. Thomaso was changed to Thomas, Elsbetia was changed to Elizabeth, her husband, Jan had his name changed to John. My maiden name, Dziedzic was changed to Dietrich when I was about 9 years old. My parents did this for our brother so he would not have to have Dziedzic for the rest of his life.
These changes helped the immigrants, themselves, fit in and not be persecuted, yet, their decedents were left with only a partial idea of the cultures they came from. I understand why these things happened, but it still saddens me that our lives were less rich because of the very real need to fit into the new land and culture. It enabled them to get better jobs and have better lives.
I find myself wondering what ethnicity some people are not because I am being racist but because I am interested. I can not decided what ethnicity they are. I feel each ethnicity can have unique looks. My best friend for example is half white and half Mexican, however when you look at her she looks more Italian to me. I find it interesting to find out the ethnicity of people. Of course I do not ask people directly I do find that to be rude.
Leslie Milton
Anthropology 101
Course 3001
In some cases, it is actually better to ask than not, particularly if your curiosity renders you to stare or look strangely at the individual in question. But there are appropriate and inappropriate ways of asking. For example, my roommate in graduate school was biracial, and she didn't mind if people asked, as long as it wasn't a question that assumed anything. She once had a random woman approach her in the grocery store ask, "Are you an Eskimo?", which annoyed her because A) the woman assumed her identity, and B) the term Eskimo is actually a ethnic slur. But when I asked her what her origins were in passing she was more open to the question (it may have also helped that I said that her features were very beautiful and that guys often stared at her). So there are definitely appropriate ways and times to ask versus inappropriate times.
Or you could appreciate everyone for who they are and recognize that humans are incredibly diverse, which makes us all pretty darn neat. :)
After reading this blog now I understand the difference between the ethnicity and race. Ethnicity among groups of people means the characteristics they share. While race is the divide of people in groups or populations based on his or her physical traits. This blog has brought me a clearer understanding of the meaning ethnicity and the difference from race
I really enjoy learning about different people and their customs. I am always afraid that I will come off as being rude or disrespectful when asking someone about their ethnicity. Often I will not ask until I have known them for a while or let them tell me in their own time.
Samantha Bond
Anth 101 sec 3002
Being older I grew up in a time where there was still a great deal of genetic categorization of people into racial groups. I was fortunate enough to go do a very diverse school and had the opportunity to learn that there is more than just race. I really think that the ethnic understanding is a path between the two schools of thought. some is genetic but a large part is also the group you are raised in.
I would have to say that I'm an Instrumentalist; I believe one's ethnicity is based on where one is from and who he or she interact with. However, changing one's name and accent is going too far. One's past interactions and location is part of one's ethnicity and personal identity.
I agree with the Primordialists there because they believe that ethnicity is a natural and unchanging phenomenon. Just because you hang out with a group of people that's different from you doesn't mean you'll change.
-Monique McAllister
Ethnically Speaking I'm really not formal with this from reading the blog, but what I'm understanding is people from different places with same experience
Courtney Fitch
I learned that there are two types of theoretical factions on the ethnicity theory, instrumentalists and primordialists. Primordialists believe that ethnicity is a natural and unchanging phenomenon and that instrumentalists believe that ethnicity is a social, economic, and political tool that is adopted and discarded to protect the identity of the ethnic group
Ethnicity and race have some correlation, but they are not the same thing. Ethnicity is individuals in a group sharing common characteristics. - Dion Grayson
Both of sets of great grandparents were immigrants, so my family is somewhat new to the US compared to many others. Both also had to change their last names to avoid the exact thing you mentioned. More so for my Cuban great grandma, whos birth name is actually Rosie Valvaruez who later went by Rosie Barnes.
Ethnicity has always been confusing for me to understand simply because it is and was never used much around me. I feel like words such as race and ethnicity were developed just to categorize people into different groups, separating us, and not making us see one as equal to the other.
When you assume that people have only one ethnicity or culture based on how they look, you invariably neglect a large chunk of who they are ,other ethnicities they possess, other cultures they identify with, and other traditions they practice. Doing so makes that person look uniformed and inconsiderate. This is a big problem in america today...
-Jasmine Busby
Honestly never understood what ethnicity was. I always thought it was based on the race of someone was, but its about culture and tradition. great blog.
- Lavonza Marshall
Reading this brought to my attention that I never questioned someone identity or worth based on where they was from because that don't make a difference. I have live to see so much in white and black people that I understand that just because someone live somewhere don't make them better or worse then the rest of the then world. People work and strive to do better in their lives to get away from the injustice in the world although it really never fully go away. Its just a mindset people tend to carry because they don't take the time out to understand a person for who they are and not where they come from because it don't matter. I know someone who most of their life have been made fun of because of where they come from but them as a induvial was the most caring and respectful person I have ever met. People live off statue to make themselves feel powerful but if you take it away you just have a regular person.
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