Construction Of Ethnic Identity Research Articles

“Are We Going to Participate in the War on Food Production and Succeed?”

Soon after Sri Lanka’s independence from British rule, its government established a Buddhist state at the expense of its Tamil minority group. A long, brutal civil war was fought between the Tamil rebels, known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and the Sinhala state from 1983 to 2009. This essay conceptualizes the publications of the LTTE as “food narratives for life” by applying the paradigm of “competing biopolitics” as proposed by Brenner and Tazzioli (2022: 2). The essay attempts to trace the biopolitical intervention of the LTTE in its publications on food provisioning. It explores armed groups as providers of nutrition, actors of food security, and developers of marginalized ecologies by analyzing the LTTE archives. In addition, the essay analyzes the construction of ethnic identity and food nationalism through the concept of thinai, the ancient Tamil knowledge of human geography. Finally, the essay explores the challenges in implementing resilient food practices in the conflict region of Vanni.

ความทรงจำร่วมอันกระจัดกระจาย : ศาลเก้าห้องกับการช่วงชิงอัตลักษณ์ชาติพันธุ์และพื้นที่วัฒนธรรมของชาวไทในเวียดนาม (Fragmented collective memory: The nine-section shrine and the contestation of ethnic identity and cultural space among the Tai in Vietnam)

This study explores the revival of the Nine-Section Shrine and the buffalo sacrificial ceremony to honor the heavens among the Tai Muong people in Nhu Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. It aims to analyze the symbolic significance of the shrine and the ceremony as expressions of fragmented collective memory that contribute to the construction of ethnic identity and cultural space. Additionally, the study examines how this revival functions as a strategic effort to reestablish the memory of an alliance network among nine cities—an effort that underpins the contestation and reconstruction of cultural spaces by the Tai Muong. The research employs ethnographic research methods, including in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The findings reveal that the revival of the Nine-Section Shrine is a complex and negotiated process, reflecting the dynamic interplay between state cultural policies and local efforts to preserve ethnic identity. Despite challenges posed by fragmented collective memories and state-led cultural dominance, the Tai Muong have successfully consolidated dispersed memories to collectively reconstruct the shrine and the sacrificial ceremony, thereby symbolically reclaiming cultural space. The findings further highlight the strategic role of preserving the shared memory of the historical city alliance in sustaining ethnic identity and cultural space. This study recommends that the state recognize and support local community participation in ing cultural policymaking and promote the study of the histories and cultures of various ethnic groups to foster intercultural understanding and respect for cultural diversity. Ultimately, the research contributes valuable insights toward developing appropriate and sustainable cultural policy frameworks for ethnic communities within the context of the modern nation-state.

Ethnic Identity and Linguistic Practice: Exploring the Language–Ethnicity Nexus

This article explores the complex relationship between language and ethnicity, emphasizing how linguistic practices serve as both reflections and constructions of ethnic identity. Drawing on foundational sociolinguistic theories—such as Ethnolinguistic Vitality, identity performance models, and Bourdieu’s notion of symbolic power—the study examines how language functions as a cultural symbol, a tool for boundary negotiation, and a means of resistance or alignment. Through examples from minority communities including the Basques, Navajo, Uighurs, and Kurds, as well as a case vignette involving Azerbaijani youth in Baku, the article highlights how language choices can express solidarity, identity, or cultural tension. It further analyzes the effects of language shift, marginalization, and global migration on the continuity of ethnic identities. Special attention is given to the role of educational language policy in either reinforcing or suppressing ethnic diversity. The study advocates for inclusive pedagogical models that honor linguistic plurality and support identity formation in multicultural contexts. By demonstrating the centrality of language in ethnic identity negotiation, the article underscores the importance of recognizing language not only as a communicative tool but as a critical element in the maintenance of cultural and social cohesion.

Homescape, parental agency and family language policy: how Yi parents utilize semiotic resources to facilitate language maintenance

ABSTRACT This paper incorporates the notion of homescape into family language policy, investigating how a group of Yi parents who migrated from Yi communities to urban areas in China facilitates or limits their children’s Yi maintenance. Through participatory observations in four Yi families and semi-structured interviews with the parents, this study examines the homescapes established in each family, the rationales behind their creation, and the family’s engagement with them. The analysis of data reveals that the parents agentively crafted their homescapes to create a family language environment conducive to Yi language learning in response to the limited resources outside the home domain. Homescapes were strategically designed to foster children’s ethnic identity construction, Yi literacy development and daily use of Yi. In these families, parents as agents employed homescapes as an agentic space where they subtly shaped children’s language ideologies and practices so as to eliminate conflict between parental and child agency. The study advocates the examination of homescapes as a critical part of family language policy that reflects the de facto language ideologies, practices and language management skills of family members in their everyday lives.

THE CONCEPT OF NEOCOLONIALISM: SOME STUDY QUESTIONS

Studying the concept of neocolonialism in relation to the Soviet experience in national politics is relevant in the interests of criticizing the so-called postcolonial studies of the USSR and Russia as a colonial power. The purpose of the study is to analyze the concept of neocolonialism, which opposes the evidence–based study of complex problems of the essence of national politics. Materials and methods. The research is based on the latest foreign historiography, which is analyzed on the basis of the methods of contextualization, classification, the problem-chronological and comparative methods. Results. The articles examines the approaches of modern foreign historiography of the Soviet national policy that have developed in recent years, related to promotion of both the concept of neocolonialism, which spread as a so–called decolonial turn, and postcolonial studies of situations in former colonies of the West – Africa, Asia and Latin America, which have become popular since the end of the XX century. This concept is shown to be formed on the basis of an array of postcolonial literature and the so-called “decolonial” discourse about Russia as an imperial power. The author points out the most common interpretations of the USSR as a colonial empire, thematic blocks and plots from the history of the Soviet national politics, which are used in attempts to justify the need to “decolonize” the history, the culture and the social memory of the Soviet past in Russia. The author notes rejection to study the basic factors of development and vital activity of ethno-social communities related to the state, the socio-economic development and the essence of the Soviet modernity project, which is alternative to the Western one. Examples of neocolonial historiographical practices are given, their characteristic features and techniques are pointed out, including ignorance or unwillingness to take into account the factual basis of the Soviet history and national policy, first and utmost in economics and social development; substitution of grounded research involving archival and other verified sources with an apology for the subjective experiences of “subalterns” with the search for colonization in symbolic violence, intimate experiences, self-identification and all kinds of representations; discrediting the state and calling for the creation of communities of change through decolonization of consciousness, thinking, art, education, subjectivity; criticism of static identities and territorial identifications as opposed to the Soviet construction of ethnic identity. Conclusion. The analysis of examples on neocolonialism concept promotion indicates the tendency to select “incriminating” facts and politicized subjectivism in study the multiculturalism in Russia/ the USSR with neocolonial attempts to prove the need for “decolonization” of the post-Soviet space. It is proposed to update the grounded study of modernization processes in the economy, political and socio-cultural spheres as the actual basis of nation-building.

Ethnonyms as a Linguocultural Phenomenon: Comparison of Nominative Models in Indo-European and Turkic Languages

The article is devoted to the comparative analysis of nominative models of ethnonyms in Turkic and Indo-European (Germanic) linguistic traditions. The paper considers universal and specific grounds for the formation of ethnonyms, reflecting the peculiarities of ethnic self-identification, mythological thinking and cultural memory of peoples. Special attention is paid to the study of mythological images and geographical and socio-political factors that influenced the formation of ethnonyms. The study is based on applying comparative-historical, linguocultural and cognitive analysis methods. It is revealed that in both traditions, there are common naming universals, but the specificity of cultural codes determines different strategies of ethnic nomination. The results of the work deepen the understanding of the role of ethnonyms in the construction of ethnic identity and linguistic picture of the world.

‘Who am I?’ Evolutionary perspectives of African ethnic identity

ABSTRACT The journey of identity is a lifelong odyssey, marked by distinct milestones and transformative experiences that shape and redefine one’s sense of self. By theorizing ethnic identities across developmental milestones, this paper highlights the intricate interplay between hereditary perspectives, cultural affiliations, individual development, societal dynamics, and rational choice. This exploration delves into the multifaceted dimensions of ethnic identity construction, acknowledging that these identities are not static but evolve in response to the dynamic interplay of life’s pivotal moments. From the formative years of childhood, through adolescence, to the complexities of adulthood, this narrative provides an understanding of the landscape that underpins the theorization of ethnic identities across these diverse and interconnected milestones of the human lifespan.

Взаимосвязь мотивов конструирования этнической идентичности и индивидуальных ценностей у русских старшеклассников из центрального и дальневосточного регионов России

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective. </strong>The aim of the study is to verification the hypothesis about the regional specificity of the relationship between the motives of constructing ethnic identity and individual values among Russian high schoolers from the central and far eastern regions of Russia. <br><strong>Background. </strong>Youth are a particularly vulnerable group in situations of permanent uncertainty and atypical crises. It is therefore important to explore the resource potential of different types of social identity and its factors among young people. <br><strong>Study design. </strong>We have conducted a comparative quantitative analysis of the results of the survey of the ethnic majority from the two mono-ethnic Russian regions (in May 2023). <br><strong>Participants. </strong>Russian high schoolers ages 15 to 18 from Smolensk (185 Russians, <em>M </em>= 16,3, <em>SD </em>= 0,48, 59,5% of girls) and Khabarovsk (134 Russians, <em>M</em> = 16,8, <em>SD</em> = 0,72, 67,9% of girls) participated in the study.<br><strong>Measurements. </strong>We used the Scale of Rapid Assessment of Ethnic Identity by N.M. Lebedeva, “Portrait Values Questionnaire” by S.H. Schwarz and author’s items formulated to assess motives of constructing ethnic identity.<br><strong>Results</strong>. Most respondents clearly feel themselves to be members of the Russian ethnic group, but do not see ethnic identity as a significant resource for meeting important needs. The dominant value basis of ethnic identity motives for Russian high schoolers from Smolensk is the Tradition value, and for Russian high schoolers from Khabarovsk – the Achievement value and the Universalism-Nature value. <br><strong>Conclusions. </strong>There is a regional specificity of formation and value bases of construction of the Russian ethnic identity among young members of the ethnic majority in conditions in mono-ethnic environment.</p>

The Dialectics of Ethnocultural Positioning: A Historical and Intergenerational Perspective on Georgian Identity Construction

This manuscript explores the dialectical semiotic dynamics of ethnocultural positioning, examining the heterogeneous plurality of social representations through an intergenerational lens. Ethnocultural identity is constructed through several significant semiotic binary oppositions. A novel methodological approach was developed to examine intergenerational dialectic cleavage by analyzing the literary/poetic conversation between distinguished representatives of different historical and ideological epochs. Sociocultural streams are revealed through individual agents’ dialogical literary writings, which embody historical developments that frame the social processes of ethnopositioning. The contradiction between different ethnocultural social representations and ideologies led to the creation of various semiotic binary oppositions, forming the basis for two distinct versions of Georgianness. Dialogical text analysis highlights the significance of the individual level of analysis, revealing microgenetic developments that underpin broader sociocultural dynamics. Cultural values and identities are not static but rather evolve through idiosyncratic reconstructive modifications shaped by new experiences. Ultimately, layers of relevant social representations create a basic dialectical semiotic structure that serves as a foundation for ethnic identity construction.

Ethnic Identity Construction and Contestation in Bangladesh: The Case of the Manipuri and Bishnupriya Communities

In Bangladesh, some groups seek economic or social advantages by claiming ethnic identities to which they are not entitled. This paper examines such claims, focusing on the identity challenges faced by the Manipuri community due to competing claims from the Bishnupriya. Despite clear distinctions in linguistic, historical, and cultural origins, as recognized in the literature, the Bishnupriya community asserts a Manipuri identity, creating tensions and contestations. The Manipuri, known as Meetei locally and internationally, are one of the recognized ethnic groups in Bangladesh. However, their identity is increasingly contested by the Bishnupriya, whose claims lack alignment with established definitions of Manipuri ethnicity. Although this issue is significant for the Manipuri community, it remains underexplored in Bangladeshi scholarship. This study addresses the gap using qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and participatory observations, complemented by secondary sources and scholarly research. The findings highlight the complexity of ethnic identity construction and its implications for minority communities in Bangladesh.

Ethnic identity construction of Zapotec children and their relationship with sacred geography

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar la manera en que los niños zapotecas construyen sus identidades étnicas a partir de la educación tradicional y su relación con el territorio natural perteneciente a la geografía sagrada. La metodología utilizada es cualitativa con una perspectiva etnográfica. La observación participante se llevó a cabo en la Escuela Indígena Bilingüe “Emiliano Zapata” de la comunidad de San Baltazar Guelavila en el Estado de Oaxaca (México). Los ejes de discusión son en relación con la manera en que las identidades indígenas se crean y transforman en la infancia, de acuerdo con la educación que reciben. El principal hallazgo fue que el elemento identitario relacionado con el territorio es el más arraigado en los infantes y que, a pesar de las transformaciones propias de su identidad étnica, logra permanecer en el tiempo. Los otros elementos identitarios identificados fueron: autoadscripción, lengua, ser indígena, vestimenta, alimentación, religión, creencias y festividades. Concluimos que la identidad étnica de los niños aún se encuentra en formación, por lo que aún no son capaces de dimensionar la cuestión de lo sagrado en relación con su territorio.

“It Was Nice To Be Able To Talk to Them Like They Were Family.”: A Mexican American Preservice Teacher’s Testimonio

A large body of scholarship focuses on how to prepare White teachers to teach students of Color and guide them to make sense of their Whiteness. Using testimonio, this article adds diversity to teacher preparation literature and makes space for Kelly, a Mexican American preservice generalist teacher, to share her story. In particular, I highlight how her relationships and language ideology influence her ethnic identity construction while participating in the figured worlds of 1) her family, 2) personal K-12 schooling experience, and 3) pre-service student teaching experiences. Kelly’s testimonio is a call to subvert monoglossic language ideologies, value translanguaging, and ultimately prepare PSTs with the self-reflexive capacity to engage in linguistically responsive and sustaining pedagogy.

Ethnic identity construction through multimodal linguistic landscape at Ban Arunotai in Thailand

ABSTRACT Thailand is a country where ethnic diversity and multilingualism are deeply embedded in the cultural landscape, and understanding the construction of ethnic identity provides crucial insights into its social dynamics. This study investigates how ethnic identities are constructed and negotiated through multimodal resources within the linguistic landscape of Ban Arunotai, a multiethnic village in Chiang Mai. Utilizing a comprehensive multimodal framework, the research analyzes how public signage combines linguistic, visual, auditory, and spatial elements to articulate and reshape identity. The findings reveal a hierarchical structure of languages and modes, where dominant languages are visually prioritized, while minority languages serve more localized, symbolic functions. Moreover, a shift from static, monolingual systems to fluid, multilingual repertoires among speakers reflects broader sociocultural changes shaped by translanguaging practices. By framing public signs as dynamic resources in the active formation and reinforcement of ethnic identities, this study offers significant implications for understanding identity politics and social integration in multilingual settings.

“Plomo por hablar, plata pa’ que hablemos”. Diversidad étnica y educación en el suroccidente colombiano

How do the relationships between the concept of being indigenous and the processes of ethnoeducation manifest in southwestern Colombia? This ethnographic study explores the complexities of constructing ethnic identity among the indigenous peoples of Nariño, focusing on the implementation of educational programs driven by a population perspective. By questioning the foundations of ethnoeducation from the late 20th century to the early 21st century, we establish a dialogue among various institutional agents within the broader framework of ethnic-based social organization. We also examine the historical relationships, institutional archaisms, and contemporary challenges faced by ethnic educational processes in Nariño. We conclude with insights into the construction of ethnic identity and its implications for the social order governing the interactions between community members and government representatives. We conceptualize the relationship between the State, school, and ethnic identity as a fundamental part of Colombia’s modern project, which has been in development since the republican era. The institutional framework has fluctuated between protectionist, paternalistic, and cultural assimilation policies. However, the current threats to the physical and cultural survival of ancestral peoples must be addressed through the State’s institutional mechanisms and governance technologies. These mechanisms are designed to tackle the challenges of interculturality within a complex and often contradictory framework of relationships.

The construction of dual ethnic identity among multi-ethnic adolescents

This article examines the relationship between intermarriage and integration in a novel context, centering on Israeli adolescents with ethnic origins from both Europe and Middle Eastern and North African countries. Current analyses explore this relationship mainly through the self-identification of multi-ethnic individuals. One line of studies shows that intermarriage enlarges social networks and lowers social differences thereby weakening ethnic identification among multi-ethnic adolescents; another line points to the continuation of ethnic boundaries within multi-ethnic families and close environments that lead adolescents to identify themselves as ethnic. In contrast to these lines of research, that examine the relationship between intermarriage and integration among different ethnic groups, this article analyses this relationship between two subgroups – Middle Eastern and North African and European Jews – from the same ethnic group: Israeli Jews. Interviews with Israeli multi-ethnic adolescents show that they develop a dual ethnic identity that comprised two opposing elements. The first is a ‘thin’ identity, which enables them to choose and switch between ethnicities, thus blurring ethnic boundaries; the other, a ‘strong’ identity, creates an inner experience of two opposing ethnicities, thereby maintaining a hierarchy between the groups. This article demonstrates that in specific structural conditions, intermarriage does not influence integration in one direction only, but facilitates and impedes this process simultaneously in both directions.

Material ethnicity: Maya textiles and Guna molas as sources of cultural distinctiveness and intellectual property

ABSTRACT In this article, we coin the concept of ‘material ethnicity’ when thinking about the centrality of certain elements of material culture in present redefinitions of ethnic boundaries, especially when these elements are misappropriated by outside actors and become subjects of legal regulation. By analyzing the cases of the Guna (also referred to as ‘Gunadule’) molas in Panama and Maya textiles in Guatemala, we aim to understand the role of Indigenous textiles in the fluid construction of ethnic identities. We explore the reasons why molas and Guatemalan textiles have become ethnic identifiers, drawing attention to their importance in the construction of corporeality, framing of gender relations, creation of knowledge, perception of appropriation, and temporality – five symbolic practices linked to the ownership of territory. Finally, we present several of the debates about the intellectual property of these textiles and conclude with some considerations on the significance of materiality for political constitution.

AB-Türkiye İlişkileri Bağlamında Ermenilerin Kimlik İnşasına Yeniden Bakış

This article critically analyses the reconstruction of the Armenian identity in the context of reforms in Turkey's European Union (EU) accession process. Within the scope of the research, in order to understand the cultural, ethnic and religious identity construction processes of the Armenian community in Istanbul, the existing academic literature on Armenians in Turkey has been analysed in detail, and field research based on observation and in-depth interviews has been conducted. In line with the historical background ranging from the Ottoman millet system to the Republic's policies of creating a homogenous nation, from the democratisation movement to the EU accession process, the construction process of Armenian identity has been analysed in three stages in the light of the relevant theoretical debates. Firstly, the historical development of different legal statuses evolving from non-Muslims to minorities is analysed; secondly, the reform process brought about by the EU membership process is examined. While analysing this process, the basic dynamics that contributed to the formation of Armenian identity were first identified. Secondly the prominent changes in the legal, political, social and cultural fields that accelerated the reconstruction of the Armenian community's identity by the EU reform process were tried to be identified. Finally, the social dilemmas experienced in the aftermath of the reforms are analysed and the ongoing identity struggle of the Armenian community is outlined. While the EU membership process allows the Armenian community in Turkey to express their identities more openly and freely, social insecurity and dilemmas prevent this process from being fully realised. The study analyses the theoretical approaches to identity construction and the political, economic, social and cultural transformations experienced by the Armenian community in Turkey and offers suggestions on the processes of identity struggle. In particular, it is emphasised that overcoming social insecurities and dilemmas is critical for the sustainable survival of Armenian identity. In this context, it is concluded that more inclusive and supportive policies should be developed in order to preserve the Armenian identity and increase its social acceptance. Key Words: Identity, European Union, Türkiye, Armenian identity, minority

Semanda, Metudau, and Tekhang: Marriage and Construction of Ethnic Identity among Belunguh People’s in Tanggamus, Lampung

The Reformation era in Indonesia has resulted in changes in local politics, particularly in relation to ethnic-based groups or adat politics. However, previous studies that have focused on the rise of adat or tradition in local politics have paid limited attention to the dynamics of cultural expression and representation. This article aims to shed light on the reconstruction of ethnic identity among the Belunguh people in Lampung within multiethnic society. To achieve this, an ethnographic inquiry was conducted with the Belunguh people of the Lampung Sai Batin sub-ethnic group, specifically exploring their marriage patterns and rituals. The data collection methods consisted of interview, focus group discussions (FGD), and observation involving twelve informants from traditional leaders (penyimbang adat). The findings of the study highlight the significance of marriage systems and rituals in the construction of Belunguh ethnic identity. While intra-ethnic relations are shaped by marriage practices and rituals of semanda and metudau, the practice of tekhang emerges to facilitate inter-ethnic marriages, particularly with the Javanese. The Belunguh people strive to enhance their awareness of identity by modifying marriage rituals, which reflect their social status, hierarchy, and cultural adaptation in a multiethnic society.

Curious Emblems

Abstract As mainstream examples of Polish foodways, pierogi and pączki function as what Michael Owen Jones refers to as “emblems of ethnicity,” symbolizing Polishness for Americans with no ancestral ties to this ethnic group. In this article, I explore the opposite: foods that serve as emblems of ethnicity when the emblems in question are of contested ethnic origin. I also examine what that uncertainty means for the construction and transmission of ethnic identity. As documented in the literature, ethnic identity can be performed through food. Family recipes provide the script for this performance, allowing members of an ethnic group to navigate the boundary of inclusion with foods that—to them—symbolize ethnicity. Drawing on a case study involving a special-occasion cookie served at Wigilia and multigenerational interviews with my Polish American family supplemented by analytic autoethnography, I argue that an ethnic emblem need not be authentic to transmit ethnic identity. Informed by Annie Hauck's concept of the food voice, I posit that something as fragile as one family recipe can speak with multiple food voices to reproduce and resurrect ethnic identity, regardless of authenticity or provenance because, as objects of material culture, family recipes are linked not to a place but to the people—and the ethnic identity of the people—who made them.

Conceptual Understanding of Ethnicity in Nepal: Exploring Primordial and Constructivist Approach

This paper critically analyzes the primordial and constructivist approaches to understanding ethnicity in Nepal and examines how intersectionality, hybridity, power dynamics, and agency shape ethnic identity construction. The study draws on diverse perspectives and scholarly literature to explore the complexities of ethnicity in Nepalese society. The findings reveal the interplay of primordial factors, such as shared ancestry and kinship, with constructivist factors, including social construction and fluidity, in shaping ethnic identity formation. The analysis also highlights the significance of intersectionality, where gender, caste, class, and ethnicity intersect, in influencing ethnic identity construction. Additionally, the study emphasizes the role of hybridity, power dynamics, and agency in shaping and contesting ethnic identities. The implications of these dynamics for marginalized ethnic communities are discussed, focusing on their challenges in challenging dominant narratives and advocating for their rights. The research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of ethnicity in Nepal and informs future research, policy considerations, and interventions related to ethnicity and identity.