Ethnic groups

Ethnic Groups are a group of people who identify with each other based on common ancestral, social, cultural, or national experiences. The concept of ethnicity is further expanded to include the aspects of self-identification, historical experience, geographic dispersion, and cultural patterns.

Definition

The term ethnic group is derived from the Greek word "ethnos," which originally meant "nation" or "people." In the modern context, an ethnic group is a category of people who identify with each other, usually on the basis of presumed (and usually claimed) common genealogy or ancestry. Ethnicity is often an inherited status, but it can also be based on the society one lives in, as opposed to one's physical characteristics.

Characteristics

Ethnic groups are often united by common cultural, behavioral, linguistic, ritualistic, or religious traits. Processes that result in the emergence of such identification are summarized as ethnogenesis. Members of an ethnic group, on the whole, claim cultural continuities over time, although historians and cultural anthropologists have documented that many of the values, practices, and norms that imply continuity with the past are of relatively recent invention.

Ethnic Groups and Race

Ethnicity and race are distinct in that ethnicity is a term that describes shared culture — the practices, values, and beliefs of a group, while race is a social construct, a concept that was invented to categorize the perceived biological, social, and cultural differences between human groups.

Ethnic Groups Around the World

There are numerous ethnic groups around the world, each with their own unique traditions, cultures, and identities. Some of the largest ethnic groups include the Han Chinese, the Bengalis, the Punjabis, the Japanese, and the Javanese.

See Also

• Race (human categorization)
• Cultural identity
• Ethnogenesis
• List of ethnic groups

References

Ethnic groups Resources
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