Ethnicity Anth 111 2006

Front 1

Ethnic identities

Back 1

are considered as the most potent political force in both ancient and modern times. Today, it is the ethnic conflicts that replace the old ideological conflict between capitalists and communist.

Front 2

Definition of ethnic group

Back 2

A named social category of people based on perceptions of shared social experience or ancestry.

Front 3

Features of ethnicity

Back 3

The dichotomy of “us” and “them”: Members of the group see themselves as sharing cultural traditions and history that distinguish them from other groups.
An ethnic group can have people from different social classes; members come from all strata of the population.
Ethnic identity has situational nature
Two main attributes
Fluidity
Covers a range of social groupings

Front 4

The situational nature

Back 4

This situation nature of ethnicity is called the hierarchical nesting quality of identity. A smaller ethnic group forms part of a larger group (or collection). Precisely speaking, the dichotomy between “us” and “them” the ethnic identity created is not at the one level, but at several hierarchically ranked levels of the dichotomy between “us” and “them.”

Front 5

Attributes of ethnic group

Back 5

There are two main attributes:
1) the origin myth/history 2)ethnic boundary markers.

Front 6

Origin myth/history.

Back 6

Each ethnic group has a unique set of historical events which provide the group members a sense of belongings. These shared events by the members are called the group’s origin myth. Its main function is to bind the members together and maintain the group identity.
An ethnic group can have many historical events, but only certain events can become origin myth. Wars and conflicts are often chosen for the myth construction. Why? This is because wars and conflicts clearly distinguish “us” from “them.”
stories, songs, dances, games, music, theatres, film and art