Concept Of Ethnicity Research Articles

A.M. Tallgren and ethnic interpretation in archaeology

The Finnish archaeologist Aarne Michaël Tallgren is remembered for his article on archaeological theory, which he published in Finnish in 1934 and in French for the international readership in 1936. There he denied the possibility of making ethnic conclusions on the basis of archaeological material. However, Tallgren’s relationship to ethnic questions has never before been analysed as a whole. This article examines how Tallgren’s conception of ethnicity developed. He inherited the ethnic paradigm of archaeology from his teachers but was initially rather cautious in his conclusions. Up to 1920, Tallgren’s own approach to ethnic questions gradually consolidated. In contrast to the view prevailing today, it is shown that ethnic conclusions were a central part of his reasoning in the 1920s but only in relation to the question of the roots of the Finnish people. Criticism against the ethnic paradigm of archaeology was voiced both in Finland and elsewhere in Europe in the 1910s and 1920s, and in the early 1930s, Tallgren also began to doubt this approach. Becoming acquainted with the new Soviet archaeology in the late 1920s sparked Tallgren’s interest in archaeology as social history, and the political use of the ethnic view of prehistory first in Germany and soon thereafter in the Soviet Union probably eventually led him to deny any ethnic conclusions.

Motivations for Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: Understanding Interpretations of Ancestry Results

AbstractDirect-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) has the potential to significantly impact racial and ethnic identities as well as social concepts of race and ethnicity. Prior literature challenges the binary choice of essentialism vs. constructionism in understanding consumers’ interpretations of genetic ancestry results. Largely focusing on differences by race and ethnicity, this research finds that test takers selectively apply genetically determinist logic depending on their prior identities and interests. We extend this line of inquiry using in-depth interviews with thirty-six mostly white participants who had previously taken a DTCGT offering combined health and ancestry results, which provided an opportunity to explore how different motivations for testing – e.g., for health or ancestry information – impact interpretations of ancestry results. Our analysis reveals distinct patterns in how health- vs. ancestry-motivated consumers invoke genetic determinism in their interpretations of DTCGT results. At the same time, regardless of motivation for testing, we found little use of genetic results to challenge the coherence or biological basis of racial or ethnic categories. Our results suggest that even if genetic determinism is only selectively applied, and in ways that vary between consumers with different motivations for testing, at least among whites, discourses of genetics as “truth” and white normativity are nonetheless the prevailing interpretive frameworks for genetic ancestry results.

A Greek American Cold Warrior: George E. Phillies and the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949

Abstract: George E. Phillies, a prominent Greek American and chairman of the Justice for Greece Committee, was an ardent anticommunist who took an interest in themes of growing importance in American public debates of the late 1940s: the Greek Civil War (1946–1949) and US intervention in Greece as inaugurated by the Truman Doctrine (1947). Phillies's social status, hybrid identity, and networking with American and Greek elites were decisive for his emergence as an influential cold warrior at a crucial period for both US-Greek relations and US strategy in the Cold War. His public role was important in the legitimization of the Truman administration policy toward Greece. He used his ties to Greece to construct a supposedly factual account of the Greek Civil War that undermined alternative narratives and criticism of US actions. Phillies represents a case of ethnic anticommunism. His discourse highlights the hybrid, transatlantic dimension of Greek American identity in the mid-twentieth century and the interaction between ideological and ethnic conceptions of identity. His case is revealing for the role of anticommunism in the identity formation process and integration practices among migrants in post-World War II American society.

Understanding causes of adolescents' ascriptions of peers' dual ethnic and national belonging

AbstractDescendants of migrants often feel belonging to the ethnic minority group of their parents and the national group (i.e., dual identifiers). If second‐generation migrants are recognized as members of both groups, they can create social bridges and improve intergroup relations. However, people often ascribe them only minority belonging, thereby not recognizing dual belonging. Following the social identity approach, we examined who ascribes dual belonging to second‐generation migrants and why they do so. We focus on the role of national self‐identification, and endorsing a civic or ethnic conception of nationhood on the ascriptions that national majority members make to their second‐generation peers. We collected sociometric data from secondary vocational school classes in the Netherlands (Nstudents = 397, Nclasses = 36). Findings replicated that many second‐generation migrants self‐identified as dual (69%), but only a small number of dual ascriptions were given to them (15%). Although we found no effects for the hypothesized relations on ascribing only minority rather than dual belonging, national majority members who had a stronger national identification displayed a stronger tendency to ascribe only national rather than dual belonging. This raises the question whether dual identifiers could act as ‘gateway groups’ to improve intergroup relations.

A Primordial Ethnic Evaluation of Gurkhas of India

The Gurkha people also known as Nepali people, renowned for their valor and loyalty in the world, have a longstanding historical presence in India. This paper through an in-depth analysis of historical recordsexamines the multifaceted ethnicidentity aspects of the Gurkha community's existence in India, encompassing their historical evolution, socio-cultural significance, and contemporary challenges.The research further investigates the contemporary challenges faced by the Gurkha community and uses a primordial lens to evaluate the unique identity and contributions of the Gurkha people in India. The Gurkhas' primordial identity fosters unity and cooperation, transcending geographical boundaries and creating a global shared identity. The concept of primordial ethnicity is crucial for understanding ethnic dynamics and cultural heritage's role in shaping their resilience. The Gurkhas' condition is influenced by historical experiences, economic opportunities, and political recognition, offering valuable insights into primordial ethnic identity.

Анархическая этничность

The chapter “Anarchist Ethnicity” makes an attempt to consider the concept of ethnicity as part of the modern politics of values. The topic of ethnicity, which arose as a scientific response to a politically discredited racial theory, nevertheless, as the author shows, does not leave the political space. Both primordialist and constructivist concepts of ethnicity retain the priority of ethnic identity (separation of oneself from another, and in political form, attitude towards the enemy) in relation to that archaic (pre-political) community, which can also be extracted from the very idea of ​​ethnos. The author proposes to consider ethnicity not as a tool for dividing communities, but as one of the forces of bringing together the weak, different, and incapable of political solidarity and mobilization. This reveals a unique ethics of ethnicity, which the author calls “ethical mythology,” since here the action of myth and ethics are inseparable. Using the example of the polemics of Derrida and Lévi-Strauss regarding preliterate societies, it is shown that the myth in which a community manifests itself in opposition to various forms of imposed political community (be it a people, a nation or an ethnic group) is a variant of arche-writing in the form in which it described in the concept of deconstruction. In fact, ethnicity contains signs of resistance to the “common meaning” and “political will”, peculiar traces of ritual, non-government practices of heterogeneous communities. The attempt made in this chapter to present such communities as the elusive source of ethnicity and as a distinguishing unit of modern political thinking, like a phoneme in linguistics, reveals the anti-authority and anti-social layer of ethnicity, which is therefore called here “anarchic”. In the chapter “Maidan: Redefining Democracy,” through an analysis of the events that occurred in Ukraine in 2013, which resulted in a change in political power in the country, the author attempts to offer a different version of democracy. It was on the Kiev Maidan, in his opinion, that the event of depoliticization of protest took place, as a result of which many words, such as “freedom”, “justice”, “trust”, “dignity”, ceased to be moral and political tools for manipulating society, but they acquired the concreteness of practical action, not reducible to politics, morality, or economics. The article shows the Maidan effect from the side of its resistance to politics, where the dominance of affective trust exceeds possible political disagreements. It is this that Spinoza, and later Antonio Negri, describes as the “multitude” (multitudo) that underlies democracy. It is this kind of democracy that realizes “freedom”, “equality” and “justice” not as political concepts, but as affects of community, allowing for the realization of both trust and risk in a world filled with political falsehood and disinformation.

Introduction to the Special Issue

Seeking critical and sound examination, analysis, and evaluation of complex ideas and theories of established past directions in the interdisciplinary fields of diaspora, postcolonial, and culture studies, this collection aims to chart intellectually meaningful pathways for future planetary survival and thriving, while throwing needed light on intricacies and nuances of established research and existing systems. Pondering the problems but also pursuing the possibilities of “diaspora connections” is a necessary and urgent endeavor today. While academics, activists, and cultural practitioners are creating numerous portals out of the human-conflict epidemic, and some see in the metaphoric and real “disease” the very artifacts and materials for hope of transformative power, the collection is driven by the realization, articulation, and intention of seeking inclusive paradigms and building enduring diaspora connections. In this spirit, I invited research papers that address, illuminate, analyze, and/or critique specific manifestations, dynamisms, or stagnancies of “diaspora connections,” as well as explore its multiple understandings and contexts. Whether focusing on recognized or emerging contours of diaspora communities shaped by and beyond concepts of race, ethnicity, colonization, and developmental logics, researched works on alignments and disjunctions, as well as new formations along postcolonial ecologies and narratives of culture, social formations and experiences were encouraged.

When ethnicity is “national”: mapping ethnic minorities in Europe’s framework convention for the protection of national minorities

ABSTRACT Legal and policy categorizations of group belonging play an important role in analysing lived experiences of discrimination, since the scope of minority protection requires individuals to prove their belonging to a minority group. This article maps the existing classifiers of minority identification as they are used in the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Europe’s most comprehensive treaty designed to protect the rights of national minorities. I engage with the concept of ethnicity as a “knot of distinction”, looking at which minorities qualify as “national” in different countries. When is ethnicity used as a proxy for religion, when for race, and when for language? What categories are omitted? By inductively analysing the rationales presented by different EU countries of which minorities are “national”, and based on which grounds, this article reveals a messy, historically and politically driven picture, but one that can help us understand some regional patterns.

What’s ethnicity got to do with it? Religious and racial politics in Europe

ABSTRACT Drawing on sociology, anthropology, constitutional law, and political philosophy, this issue explores how the concept of ethnicity functions as a salient category for understanding the experiences of minorities in Europe today. It considers ethnicity as a powerful means of self-identification and the assertion of differences between as well as within ethnic groups. This issue engages the tension between group-based stigmatization on the one hand, and the reality of increasingly fragmented forms of identification under the influences of de-institutionalization and individualization. It also hones in on the ethnicization and racialization of nationhood under the influence of right-wing identity politics, and the exploitation of ethnic differences for political and electoral purposes. In its engagement with socio-legal studies, this issue considers a number of strategies for alleviating the pressure on ethnic minorities, for example through the use of private sector duties as well as potential innovations of anti-discrimination infrastructures.

The relevance of F. Barth's ideas for modern studies of ethnicity

The concept of ethnicity continues to be an important factor for the analysis of modern society of the XXI century. This text is devoted to a critical analysis of the relevance of Frederick Barth's research conducted in 1969 and presented in the work “Ethnic Groups and Borders”. Barth's theoretical model reveals diversity and consistency at the junction of ethnic boundaries, the connection between which is due to the heuristic correlation of the author's concepts reflecting the static and dynamic identity in the aspect of ethnicity. Of particular interest are the less popular categories of Barth's discourse, which represent the positive and negative labeling of ethnic groups in acts of nomination and discrimination. An attempt to draw attention to F.'s ideas, which have already become classic and therefore somewhat outdated. Barth's work is due to the incredible plasticity of his methodology, which, combined with modern approaches (for example, symbolic interactionism) can become a very useful tool for studying ethnic issues in our time. Addressing the ethnic issues of Barth's works contributes to a deeper rethinking of the reality around us and an understanding of the principles of functioning of modern society.

ЭТНИЧЕСКАЯ КАРТИНА МИРА В РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЙ РЕКЛАМЕ

The article deals with specific features of the ethnical view of the world in advertising accounting for regional differences. The definition of the concept of an advertising text with regional differences alongside with the concepts of ethnicity, ethnic identity, ethnic worldview in regional media advertising are analyzed on the linguoculturological approach and are presented in the article. Some domestic and foreign views on the study of identity in general are highlighted; linguistic and nonlinguistic ways of explicating the ethnic view of the world in advertising accounting for regional differences are established. Observations of the ethnic view of the world of the people of the region in question in advertising texts as a special ethno-semiotic space that convey lore about the goods/services of the world through the prism of the culture elements of the ethnic group in terms of signs are made. It is concluded that advertising accounting for regional differences making an appeal to semiotics of the ethnic identity of the consumer provides some additional opportunities to stand against the destructive influence of globalization processes promoting the consolidation and maintaining the unique character of the cultures and the integrity of the peoples of the Russian Federation.

Константы национальной лингвокультурной картины мира

The book under review is of interest since it presents examples of cross-cultural analysis of ethnic concepts and ethnocultural names. Moreover, this publication can serve as a reliable guide to the study of national features of the linguistic worldview.

Rethinking “Transition” in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union Through the Lens of Disability

ABSTRACT The concept of disability can serve as a valuable lens through which a host of established subjects can be revisited in a new light. These include welfare and “welfare dependency,” unemployment, gender relations, social movements, and grassroots activities, the impact of international norms such as human rights and their application in local contexts, and the impact of neoliberal reforms. Despite this potential, disability, unlike the concepts of class, “race,” sexuality, and ethnicity, has yet to make inroads into the field of postsocialist studies. It is precisely this lacuna which our special issue seeks to address.

Is culture essential to race?

I argue that culture is not essential to race by considering the strongest and most persuasive contemporary articulation of the view that culture is essential to race—that provided by Chike Jeffers I then argue for the possibility of conceiving of race without adverting to culture by presenting the minimalist conception of race I developed in Rethinking Race as an example of a conception of race that makes no reference to culture. I next show how the ancestry-related features of culture that might be thought to be racial but fall outside of the minimalist race can be captured in a minimalist conception of ethnicity. I finally explain why we are better off conceiving of race in a way that does not advert to culture and conclude.

Understanding the Travel Decision-Making Behaviors of Ethnic Minority Tourists: The Moderating Role of Psychological Empowerment

Grounded on the concept of ethnicity, this paper explores the travel consumption and decision-making behaviors of ethnic minority travelers through the lens of psychological empowerment. Employing a quantitative-dominant concurrent nested mixed-methods approach, 951 surveys (404 white and 547 ethnic minority participants), 6 focus groups, and 10 semi-structured interviews (with ethnic minority travelers) were conducted in the UK. The findings reveal the existence of prejudices and discrimination experienced by ethnic minorities during international and domestic travel, with ethnicity being a key factor. The paper identifies the need to adopt a multi-level empowerment approach, where psychological empowerment is found to be key to understanding how negative experiences and perceived risks are accepted, feared, and/or transformed into sources of interactional and intrapersonal empowerment. This has significant positive impacts on international and domestic travel intentions of ethnic minorities. The theoretical, methodological, and management implications of the study are discussed.

Philosophical analysis of ethnicity in modern African politics, leadership and governance

Philosophical analysis of ethnicity in modern African politics leadership and governance argues that the millionist touted idea that nationalism and ethnicity would dissipate as globalization and of course universalization of political ideas on governance unfolded have been disproved as both nationalism and ethnicity have on the contrary resurged and proliferated. This points out that although there are several conceptualizations of ethnicity; the one being singled out for closer study and analysis is instrumental ethnicity, the kind strategically fermented by the political elites who at times double as military leaders, ostensibly for ethnic benefit but more often than not, for the exclusive benefits of the political or military elites themselves. The nuanced dialectic at play with instrumental ethnicity is that, superficially it looks like everybody in the ethnic grouping will benefit; indeed, for some time they may as ethnic members feel it is their son/daughter in charge, a kind of psychological satisfaction, which may be accompanied by some rudimentary economic benefits. Closer study of the dynamics of sharing locally generated resources and revenue, however, shows that lack of transparency and equity in the apportionment of those resources ends up fanning civil/tribal unrest and may flair out into open conflicts.

A STUDY ON ETHNIC CONFLICT IN NORTH EAST INDIA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE STATE OF TRIPURA

The North East region of India is known for its rich cultural diversity, with numerous ethnic groups, languages, identities and traditions coexisting in harmony. However, this region has also experienced its share of ethnic conflicts and communal violence over the years. The complexities of ethnicity and the history of inter-community tensions have contributed to occasional outbreaks of violence, leading to significant challenges in maintaining peace and stability. This article delves into the underlying factors that contribute to ethnicity-based communal violence in North East India and explores potential solutions to foster harmony and unity among the diverse communities. North East India comprises eight states with distinct ethnic identities and historical backgrounds. The region has over 200 ethnic groups, including Nagas, Kukis, Meiteis, Assamese, Bodos, and many others. The concept of ethnicity is deeply embedded in the cultural fabric of these communities, shaping their language, customs, and social structures. Ethnicity-based communal violence often arises from a sense of identity and belonging. Conflicts often emerge when communities perceive threats to their identity, language, cultural, political, or economic rights. Historical grievances, land disputes, and resource competition exacerbate tensions, leading to outbreaks of violence. KEYWORDS: Language, Identity Assertion, Ethnicity, Culture and Communities.

Dialogical decoloniality and Tibetan conceptions of indigeneity

Current discourse on entrenched differences within the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is defined in terms of evolving concepts of nationality and ethnicity. Tibetans are recognised as one of the 55 ethnic minorities distinct from the dominant Han Chinese (who comprise over 91% of the total population). This majority-minority framework has been cemented in China’s normative thinking as a multi-ethnic nation-state. Political movements among Tibetan exiles based in India advocate for greater autonomy within the framework of the constitution of the PRC and the Law on Regional National Autonomy (LRNA). Based on ‘patchwork ethnographic’ work, this paper seeks to investigate the refusal among Tibetan exiles to associate Tibet’s collective self with the concept of indigeneity. The PRC does not recognise the existence of indigenous peoples, although it voted in support of the 2007 United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples. These two divergent conceptions of indigeneity preclude the possibility of staking greater claims to indigenous sovereignty within China. By wading into debates in the Global South on decoloniality, this article is a call to revisit assumptions that have caused a reductive reading of indigeneity either exclusively as a derivative right or through the outright refusal to recognise it. I propose the notion of ‘dialogical decoloniality’ as opposed to selective osmosis in the uptake of theoretical concepts among states-in-waiting.

Опозиція «свій-чужий» як парадигма конструювання соціокультурної ідентичності: совєтсько-російські контексти

The purpose of the article is an attempt to illustrate the opposition "own-alien" as the basic paradigm of the formation of both Soviet and modern Russian socio-cultural identity that especially become relevant against the background of the full-scale Russian incursion to Ukraine and the strengthening of bipolar attitudes in world geopolitics. The methodology of the research is based on the combination of general scientific and interdisciplinary methodological tools. In particular, observation, questionnaires, narrative interview, statistical analysis, content analysis, cross-cultural and sociocultural analysis, the theory of generations by V. Strauss and N. Houwa, the theory of post-materialism by R. Inglehart, the primordialist, constructivist and instrumentalist concept of ethnicity, etc. It is primarily about the need to free ourselves from the dichotomous theoretical-methodological approach characteristic of the Soviet and partly post-Soviet socio-scientific discourse.The scientific novelty of the work consists in summarizing scientific works and the results of multi-year field studies on this problem. Also, through the prism of comparing the peculiarities of the construction of Soviet and modern Russian identity in the paradigm of "self-alien" to consider the potential risks for the further formation of Ukrainian socio-cultural identity. Conclusions. The relevance of the outlined topic is important in both scientific and social discourses. Russian propaganda in the occupied territories seeks to change the socio-cultural identity, above all, of the young generation, imposing a bipolar worldview on them. And for the older generations – resuscitates the "Soviet" way of life. A comparative analysis of the Soviet and Putin's ideological systems will highlight the ways and tools of resistance to the Russian information and psychological operation.

Антропологическое нашествие

The author of the article explores the problem of studying the phenomena of ethnicity and ethnicity based on the analysis of the national theory of ethnicity and the Western concept of ethnicity. Their long-term opposition against the background of the change of the national ideology from socialist to bourgeois led to the dominance of the constructivist model of understanding the phenomenon of “ethnic” in society. Anthropologism has taken a monopoly position in it, claiming to study any socio-cultural problems of modern society. The current attempt by a group of scientists to defend the past theoretical achievements of domestic ethnographers / ethnologists comes across an established stereotype of thinking that developed in the post-Soviet era.