Cultural Movements and Ethnic Change

Abstract

There is a new emphasis on change emerging in writings on ethnicity. Some of the most important changes involve group boundaries and conflict relationships. Ethnic groups often assimilate with other groups or differentiate themselves from groups of which they were formerly a part. As changes of this kind occur, cultural movements com monly emerge to foster or retard them. These movements range from literary; religious, and historical revivals to full- scale "crisis cults." The form they take is related to the boundary change underway. If group members fear the drift ing apart of subgroups, emphasis is often placed on myths of common origin. If, however, an ethnic group is being ab sorbed by another group, a common reaction is to stress the distinctiveness of group history and culture. Movements of the latter kind often result in political separatism and secessionist violence. Still other cultural revivals have had their origins in anti-colonial sentiment. Since the cultural content and the functionaries needed to propel such move ments are to be found at the ethnic-group level, these move ments also end by asserting ethnic distinctiveness. Anti- colonial revival movements, as well as cultural movements that aim to rectify ethnic boundaries, thus contribute to con flict between ethnic groups.