Ethnic Organizations Research Articles

Group Consciousness, Organizational Membership, and District Choice: Evidence from the Afro-Colombian Reserved Seats

AbstractNumerous countries around the globe have undertaken efforts aimed at enhancing political representation. One of these efforts has taken the institutional form of reserved seats or ethnic districts where individuals must choose where to deposit their votes. In this paper, we ask if group consciousness and organizational membership affect the choice to vote on these types of districts. Using a mixed-methods approach by combining semi-structured interviews with elites and a subgroup analysis of a conjoint experiment in a sample of Afro-Colombians, we find evidence that group consciousness affects the preferences for ethnic districts over territorial ones. Contrary to initial expectations, we observe that membership in ethnic organizations does not significantly alter preferences for ethnic districts among surveyed individuals. These findings indicate that individuals with high levels of group consciousness tend to choose to participate more in mechanisms and institutions that can enhance the group’s political representation.

Failure or Façade? Why Ethnic Organizations Strategically Forgo Policing

In-group policing is effective at mitigating conflict because ethnic elites have information needed to identify and punish spoilers within their own communities. Yet, ethnic organizations do not always police those who use unsanctioned violence. Under what conditions will an organization forgo its in-group policing responsibility? Relying on the case of Hezbollah, this article argues that in-group policing in patronage-based societies is a strategic choice. Patronage networks induce compliance by tying it to the provision of goods and services, thereby decreasing the likelihood of violations. When individuals utilize unsanctioned violence, leaders must consider the costs of policing relative to three audiences: 1. Their organization, 2. Their domestic partners, and 3. The international community. Organizations may refrain from policing violators if the costs to their organization’s cohesion and reputation are too high, but will seek ways to lessen criticism by domestic and international audiences.

Enculturation and ethnic identity: the second-generation Malayalee diaspora in Ontario, Canada

ABSTRACT Malayalee immigrants from Kerala, a southern state of India, constitute an ethnic diaspora community in Ontario, Canada. Though Malayalee diaspora is smaller, ccompared to other diasporas in Ontario, including various Indian ethnic diasporas, it is the fastest growing one. The second generation in the Malayalee diaspora is more prone to the host culture by means of acculturation and education. To preserve their own ethnic culture, the Malayalee diasporic communities enculturate their children in multiple ways. The present article explores the process of enculturation of the second-generation Malayalee diaspora happening through family, religion, ethnic organisations, and ethnic clusters. Family is instrumental in the enculturation process for maintaining the ethnic identity of the second-generation Malayalee diaspora by preserving ethnic food, dress, language, values, and other cultural traits. Ethnic associations, ethnic clusters, and religion also make significant efforts to encourage them to maintain ethnic Malayalee identity.

Funding Black-led micro-organisations in England

This article presents an approach aimed at dealing with the difficulties faced by Black-led micro-organisations in England when accessing longer-term funding. The experiences of Black-led micro-organisations working in partnership with a mainstream organisation and a mid-level minority ethnic organisation are reported in the article. The participants of the research attributed the Black-led micro-organisations’ difficulties in accessing funds to institutional racism. To overcome this, the micro-organisations received targeted funding through a partnership that not only makes funding more accessible, but also builds the capacity of the Black-led micro-organisations. This was because a micro-organisation on its own or as a group of micro-organisations would not have been successful in a funding application. The formation of the three-tier partnership came with many challenges, but ultimately with the building of trust by skilled leadership and the right individuals, the Black-led micro-organisations were able to access sustainable long-term funding.

“Mamá en inglés se dice ‘pre-med’”: bilingual Mexican-origin first-generation college undergraduates aspiring for medical careers

ABSTRACT Drawing on thirty pláticas with fifteen Mexican-origin premedical students enrolled at a large research university along the U.S./Mexico border region, we examine the strategies these young women use to persist in a heavily white and Asian dominant field where they are severely underrepresented. Our analysis underscores three main themes: 1) Language brokering; 2) Lack of Latina faculty representation limits social capital and; 3) Reliance on peers and Latinx centered organizations. We find that premedical Latinas, most of whom are of Mexican heritage in California, harness the bilingual language capital they accumulated in their childhoods as a valuable asset to gain access to opportunities in medicine, but have difficulty developing the necessary social capital networks in institutions of higher education with faculty. As a result, they turn to peer networks and Latinx ethnic organizations that serve as a bulwark from institutionalized discrimination and a means of developing the necessary social capital to persist.

Ethnic politics via digital means: Introducing the Ethnic Organizations Online dataset

With the increasing relevance of ethnic groups as political actors, the literature has attempted to identify and study the ethnic organizations representing these groups. How do these organizations use digital communication channels to reach their domestic and international audiences? To enable research on these questions, this article introduces the Ethnic Organizations Online dataset, a new data collection focusing on the online channels that ethnic organizations use. The dataset includes four types of channels: Twitter (since July 2023, rebranded by Elon Musk as X); Facebook; Instagram; and regular websites. It relies on the Ethnic Power Relations – Organizations database, and is therefore compatible with an entire family of datasets on ethnic politics. Featuring more than 2000 online channels used by 265 groups, it allows researchers to study a wide variety of questions related to digital ethnic mobilization. The article presents three examples of how the dataset can be used. We study: (a) how a group’s political goals influence social media adoption; (b) how elections impact the organizations’ communication frequency and how this differs between democracies and autocracies; and (c) how the power status of a group affects the content of their communication. We provide replication codes facilitating the use of the dataset in applied research.

Bodo Conflicts and Signing of Accords

India’s North-East region (NER), comprising of eight states- Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, is inhabited by a large number of ethnic groups. The region is juxtaposed with a large number of challenges simultaneously- armed conflict, ethnic conflict, poverty, inequality, etc. A multicultural, poly-ethnic region, ethnicity and the ethno-nationalists sentiments of the numerous communities of the region have often led fanning political and ethnic conflicts. Ethnic violence can be categorised in three different types- first, there is violence fabricated by armed ethnic organisations in order to achieve their goals, often targeted against the government, involving rival organisations in the same ethnic groups or even against civilians belonging to other ethnic groups. Second, violence is set up by student (and other) organisations, including protests against the government through road blockades, the burning of bridges, and sometimes clashes with police or para-military forces. Third, there are inter-group clashes. Assam, the second largest state of the NER has been in turmoil and agitation since long. The Bodoland region is one of the most disturbed areas in Assam. Inhabited by various ethnic groups like the Bodos, Gorkhas, Assamese, Santhals, Bengali speaking Muslims etc., this region has witnessed several conflicts.

Chinese in Minangkabau: A Typological Study of Chinese Ethnicity in Padang City

This study aims to analyze the typology of Chinese ethnicity based on aspects of religious life and Chinese ethnic organization in Minangkabau. In West Sumatra, the presence of ethnic Chinese can be found in the Kampung Pondok sub-district, South Padang District, Padang City. For the people of Padang City and its surroundings, this residential area is often called Kampung Cino. The most prominent evidence to date is the See Heen Kiong Temple. So far there is not much literature that discusses the typology of Chinese ethnicity in the city of Padang, so an effort is needed to complement the existing literature. This study used a case study qualitative research method, the Chinese ethnic group studied in Padang City. Data obtained by means of documentation. This study found that there are two typologies of ethnic Chinese in Minangkabau. First, based on religion, Chinese Muslims in the ethnic Chinese Muslim community in Padang city are members of the Indonesian Chinese Islamic Association (PITI). Second, based on ethnic similarities.
 
 

Improving the Working Lives of BME Doctors

In November 2022, the General Medical Council (GMC) published an independent review of its fitness to practice processes and the handling of the case of locum general practitioner Dr Manjula Arora. She was suspended for a period of one month in relation to a laptop request having been found to be ‘dishonest in obtaining a laptop when in fact the Trust had recorded her interest in asking for a work laptop’. The consternation was instant and palpable.
 
 The medical profession found it difficult to understand how a request for a laptop had passed through different stages of the fitness to practice process (FtP) resulting in a sanction of a suspension to her license to practice. The profession was left in a state of shock resulting in a loss of trust for the GMC. This also threatened to undermine support from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) organisations and the medical profession for the GMC’s plans to eradicate a legacy of racial discrimination.
 The review made recommendations in four areas:
 
 Professional curiosity and local resolution first.
 The need for cultural competency and diversity intelligence.
 Embedding compassion in all dealings by the GMC and Medical Practitioner Tribunal Service (MPTS).
 Providing support for doctors before, during and after the complaints process.

Exploring Perspectives of Professionals in Community Organizations for Outreach and Services to East Asian American Older Adults and Family Caregivers

The present study explored how social service agencies serve older adults and their family caregivers to examine how to better serve those from East Asian American communities through a qualitative study design. Using a convenience sampling method, 42 participants were recruited from 37 home- and community-based, social service organizations. Four themes were developed based on their efforts in outreach, service delivery, engagement, and collaboration. The results showed that traditional forms of media, such as local newspapers, TV ads, or radios were commonly used to reach East Asian American communities. Specifically, ethnic media was considered the most effective way to reach Chinese and Korean American older adults due to the familiarity with the language and the culture. While technology acted as a bridge for delivering services to their clients, it was not seen as a permanent solution to the issue but rather a “Band-Aid”. Also, some ethnic organizations used multipurpose messaging mobile applications to stay connected with their clients. Ethnic organizations serving East Asian older adults offer unique contributions to the community due to their deeper understanding of cultural backgrounds. Through greater collaborations between organizations, resource utilization may be increased thereby, successfully supporting this underserved aging population.

“Every Crisis is a Time for opportunity”: Immigrant-Refugee Leadership Perspectives in the COVID-19 Era

ABSTRACT The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately affected immigrant and refugee communities, along with community-based ethnic organizations (CBEOs) serving these communities. Our study explored the impact of COVID-19 on immigrant and refugee communities and the CBEOs serving them by conducting in-depth interviews with CBEO leaders (N = 7). Six salient themes emerged: heightened organizational strain; COVID-19’s exacerbation of social issues; loss of community wealth; barriers to COVID-19 information; immigration policies, vulnerability, and structural barriers; and a path to better opportunities.

Ethnic Self-Organization in Frontier Conditions (Examining the Examples of Germans, Kazakhs, and Russians)

The article explores the processes of formation and development of ethnic self-organization, using the examples of three groups – Russians in Kazakhstan, Kazakhs in Russia, and Germans in both Russia and Kazakhstan – who found themselves in diasporas following the dissolution of their previously unified state. On the one hand, these groups hold diaspora status, while on the other, Russians and Kazakhs are state-forming entities in their respective neighboring nations. This unique situation allows for a detailed examination of these peoples’ statutes, their places, and their roles in the implementation of national policy. The article seeks to address the peculiarities of ethnicity institutionalization in both the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan. Each ethnic group under study has its own developed form of self-organization, influenced mainly by demographic conditions, legal frameworks, and support from their homeland. Changes in the size of ethnic groups and the emergence of state borders spurred the creation of ethnic organizations on both sides of the border. Although these organizations initially pursued largely political goals, their primary focus today is on preserving language and culture – issues that remain of utmost importance to ethnic communities. Over the past 30 years, both states have built institutions and systems of legal regulation for ethnic self-organization and developed strategies to support Russians, Kazakhs, and Germans living abroad.

GERAKAN KULTURAL ORGANISASI ETNIS DI KOTA SINGKAWANG DALAM MEMBANGUN HARMONI BERSAMA

<em>This study explores information about the cultural movement of ethnic organizations in the city of Singkawang in building harmony together. The existence of an organization like this is interesting to reveal, because Singkawang as a multi-ethnic city lives side by side with various tribes, the local community is very tolerant of its diversity. With diversity, cultural space really needs to be utilized in order to create inter-ethnic harmony in an effort to reduce conflict. This study uses Anthony Giddens' theory regarding social movements and is a type of field research (Lapangan). Researchers used a sociological approach, which is a type of qualitative research using descriptive methods. Data collected through observation techniques, interview guidelines and various scientific literature. Based on the results of the data obtained, this ethnic organization is one of the social movements proposed by Anthony Giddens which is carried out jointly by a group to achieve the same goal. The cultural movements of ethnic organizations in the city of Singkawang such as MABT, MABM, and DAD have the same goals and interests, namely to strengthen harmony and increase tolerance in the city of Singkawang so that harmony, peace and peace live through the applied cultures. First, the MABT cultural tradition of caring for tolerance and harmony by holding social service activities, then respecting each other at certain moments that become the culture of each religion such as: Chinese New Year, Cap Gomeh, Ramadan, and Christmas. In MABT, every problem is solved as a family. Second, MABM has the concept that if all ethnic religions run properly and correctly then there will be no clashes. to increase tolerance one must communicate frequently, through art, festivals, and mutual respect. while DAD is in maintaining harmony, namely coordinating, communicating across ethnicities and not acting on behalf of ethnicity and religion in solving problems. In addition to building harmony together, cultural movements are also a form of resilience between tribes, ethnicities, religions and even languages. One of the local cultures that cannot be separated from the customs of the people of Singkawang city is the installation and removal of decorations at the time of major celebrations.</em>

The Forgotten Human Service Sector: Leadership Narratives of Immigrant and Refugee-Led Community-Based Ethnic Organizations

ABSTRACT Although community-based ethnic organizations (CBEOs) play a crucial role within the human services landscape, their role often remains unacknowledged. Our study examines the role of CBEOs in the context of the larger human services environment. Purposive sampling was used to interview immigrant/refugee CBEO leaders (N = 7). Four overarching themes emerged: perceived role of CBEOs in immigrant/refugee services; CBEO challenges in the human services environment; inclusion versus exclusion in the HSO network; and CBEO positioning as a way forward for human services. We argue for increased legitimization of CBEOs serving immigrant and refugee communities for an equitable human services environment.

Measurement of Bankariya Identity

Ethnic identity is a concept that is based on the feeling of the community, cultural heritage, traditional values and beliefs, ritual practices, mother tongue, specific geographical territory, and religion and can be measured by using different techniques and methods. Anthropologists and identity specialists developed various methods for the measurement of ethnic identity. This research examined the newly developed ethnic identity measures of the Ethnic Identity Scale (EIS),the Multi-group Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), and the revised (MEIM-R) from anthropological perspectives. Exploration, commitment, and affiliation are the major factors for the measurement of identity and this article has used these factors. Data gathered from the field of Bankariya habitats in Dhading district were analyzed for identity measurement. For the calculation of Bankariya's identity, only 65 respondents out of 79 were selected. Most of them have identity feelings and pride in their ethnic group. More than 90 percent of Bankariya people have actively participated in their cultural practices but only 3 percent of people are active in ethnic organizations. The research also explores the demographic and geographic features of the Bankariya people, the theoretical framework of identity, and measuring techniques.

The construction, composition and rationale of immigrants’ network: The support strategies of Ghanaian immigrants in Toronto, Canada

AbstractIn this article, we investigate the construction, composition and rationale behind the personal networks of recent immigrants to Canada. Drawing on egocentric‐network analysis and interviews with 172 Ghanaian immigrants in Toronto, we reveal their networking strategies during their integration. First, we identify social locations that help create ties with different groups: workplaces and schools offer access to ties with non‐immigrants and other immigrants alike, while religious and ethnic organizations facilitate ties to co‐nationals (i.e., Ghanaians). Second, most individuals within immigrants’ network are co‐nationals whose relationship began in Canada, followed by sustained transnational ties in the origin and diaspora and few ties with the non‐immigrant. The nature of this network is explained by examining the migration project of immigrants together with the context of reception in Canada, which suggests a desire by immigrants to stay in Canada and make Canada their second home. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Ich bin Italiano: The Internment of Trentini, Tirolesi, and Triestini in Canada during the First World War Marinel Mandres

Citizenship, rather than ethnicity, determined the treatment of immigrants during Canada’s first national internment operations (1914–20). Italians were concurrently treated as friends and enemies. Those born in Italy were “friendly” aliens. Those born in Austria (Trentino, Tyrol, and Trieste) were declared “enemy” aliens and subjected to monitoring, arrest, and internment. Personal narratives are constructed for most of the fifty-one interned Italians. Many of them rebuilt their lives in Canada. The goals of this article are to (1) establish the identities and narratives of internees, (2) determine why and where they were interned, (3) relate their experiences during and after internment, and (4) determine whether any organizations intervened on their behalf. Thematic headings include (1) pre-1914 immigration and settlement of Italians from Austria, (2) wartime predicament of Italians, (3) initiatives of diplomats and ethnic organizations, (4) internee narratives, and (5) aftermath of internment.

ORGANIZED ETHNICITY IN EASTERN EUROPE: CHARACTERISTICS OF ETHNIC ORGANIZATIONS

To date, there is a considerable amount of research on ethnopolitical processes in Eastern Europe, but most of them are devoted to research on individual cases or ethnic groups within the region. Of course, group patterns of ethnicity are important, but R. Brubaker, based on several Eastern European cases, proposed a model of "ethnicity without groups", where the main focus of the study is not the ethnic group itself, but specific actors - organizations representing it. Ethnic organization - an organized structure, membership in which is determined by the ethnic principle, and which claims to represent the interests of one of the ethnic groups and advocates the acquisition of preferences by this ethnic group. The purpose of this study is to collect information about all politically relevant organizations in the region. Therefore, the LexisNexis resource, a worldwide news aggregator, was used for the database. In the course of the work, all ethnic organizations mentioned in the news in the period from 2000 to 2019 were selected. In total, 203 organizations and 2052 observation units were included in the database in the “organization-year” format. Based on these variables, a subsequent analysis of organized ethnicity in the region was carried out. Based on these data, it can be noted that parties are the most common politically relevant form of mobilization of ethnic groups. According to the database, the majority of organizations in conflict (amounting to about 30% only) use the most peaceful strategies (petitions, public contestation, etc.). It was also revealed that the vast majority of ethnic organizations in Eastern Europe are national, centralized, legal. It should be noted that only 20% of them have a pronounced regional localization. It was also found that more than a quarter of ethnic organizations are represented in national and regional legislatures. Thus, in the course of creating the database, unique information on organized ethnicity in Eastern Europe was obtained and characterized.

An Interethnic Paradox: Chicago's Irish and Everyone Else

An Interethnic Paradox: Chicago's Irish and Everyone Else

Crafting a Categorical Ayutthaya: Ethnic Labeling, Administrative Reforms, and Social Organization in an Early Modern Entrepôt

Abstract In the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, royal officials in Ayutthaya—the name for both the kingdom of Siam and its principal city—increasingly deployed ethnic labels for a new political purpose: to organize and distinguish administrative categories of foreign merchants, migrants, captives, and sojourners. The ethno-administrative categories that emerged were neither disinterested nor “natural.” Rather, they were shaped and reshaped by countless acts of ethnic identification made by rulers and ruled, alike. Ayutthaya’s merchant-officials, mostly of overseas origins themselves, likely adapted this approach to social organization from other port cities in maritime Asia. Cambodia’s officials, probably viewing Siam as a model, followed suit soon after. As ethnic labels became shorthand references to administrative categories, each with its own set of privileges and responsibilities, ethnicity became politically significant as never before.