What is Ethnicity?
Ethnicity refers to the cultural expression & identification of people of different geographic regions, including their customs, history, language & religion. Ethnicity is about finding out & learning what group of people you identify with as per common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background. It tends to give us an idea about our nationality, heritage, culture, ancestry & upbringing.
We must remember that people may have racial similarity but ethnic dissimilarity.
The term ethnicity began to be used much later, around 1765–75. Let’s see what defines ethnicity.
- Language – Ethnicity is linked with the language one speaks, like Hindi, which means representation of a shared cultural history among those who speak the language.
- Nationality – It is also associated with one’s relations to a specific nation, such as India.
- Religious expression – Ethnicity can also be associated with a religion, especially when there are social similarities & longstanding cultural practices involved, as in Judaism or Islam.
Examples of Ethnicity
Some major examples of ethnicity include:
- Arabs – Populate such countries as Algeria, Sudan, Iraq & Saudi Arabia, mostly Muslim
- American Indian or Alaska Native – Iroquois, Cherokee, Navajo, Haida, etc.
- Irish – Catholic religion, traditions like St. Patrick’s Day
- Italian – Largest ethnic group in Italy
- Jewish – Judaism religion, languages like Yiddish & Hebrew, originated from Israelites
- French – Unique traditions like All Souls’ Day & St. Catherine’s Day
- Han Chinese – Largest ethnic group in China & worldwide
- Caribbean – Jamaica, Trinidad, Bahamas, etc.
- Russian – Celebrate Orthodox & pagan traditions, including Maslenitsa
- Korean – Celebrate Seollal (Lunar New Year’s Day) & Hansik (Eating Cold Food Day), some celebrate birthdays on lunar calendar
- Swedish – Traditions like Swedish National Day
- Dutch – From the Netherlands, original traditions like National Queen’s Day
- Japanese – Sports such as sumo wrestling
- Greeks – Traditions like “name day” & Apokries (Carnival)
- African – Tribal origins, multiple Afro-languages & cultures
Race vs Ethnicity
Race vs Ethnicity: Race and Ethnicity terms are used to categorize the sections of the population. When we divide people into groups of difference between Race and Ethnicity, based on their physical characteristics, it is referred to as race. Ethnicity refers to the Cultural Differences & identification of people of different geographic regions, including their customs, history, language & religion. So basically, race describes physical traits while ethnicity refers to cultural identification.
Difference Between Race and Ethnicity
Table of Content
- Difference Between Race and Ethnicity
- Comprehensive Comparison Between Race vs Ethnicity
- What is Race?
- What is Ethnicity?
- Importance of Race and Ethnicity
- Challenges Surrounding Race and Ethnicity
- Real-Life Examples and Updated Statistics
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