The Pros and Cons of Ethnic Identification Essay

My cultural ancestry comes from a Cuban and Mexican decent. I have chosen to write about my Cuban side because I can relate to them more than I could with my Mexican side. I was raised around my Cuban family and would occasionally see my Mexican side due to them living so far away. I have spent a lot more time associating with Cubans and have adapted to more of their habits.

Growing up, I was constantly surrounded by people of the same ethnic race and culture. I was raised in the small city of Temple City where a lot of older generation Asian immigrants resided, which resulted in my schools being mostly dominated by the first generation Asian American population. Because of this similarity of race and culture with my peers, it was fairly easy for me to bond with other students as well as feel comfortable within the realms of my schools and neighborhood. I had little trouble learning and participating in classrooms and also was able to be very involved in leadership positions in extracurricular programs at my high school which was a good learning experience for me.

When addressing self-identification, some multiracial or biracial individuals do identify as being two or more races. Some identity as just one, or that they feel closer to a certain racial group. About 69% of Multiracial adults with a black background considered themselves as black/African American (experiences, social interactions that align them within the black community). While Multiracial Asian adults, with a white and Asian background, feel more connected to the white community than to the Asian community. Another group of multiracial individuals, are those that are white and native American, and around 22% say they have a lot in common with the in the US that is native America. And 61% say they have a lot more in common with the whites.

Upon entering the class I was anxious, curious, and also oblivious to the ideas I would be encountering. Like other students who had not previously spent time discussing topics of race and ethnicity, I myself had nervous tendencies in assuming that such a class may not strengthen my understanding of ethnic and race relations. I realized I knew little about race or ethnicity, and even the possible similarities or differences. However, I welcomed the opportunity to further discover the possibilities of the class. My understanding of race was concentrated in a definition that could be understood as different skin colors. My limited conception of ethnicity applied to people’s origin or where they lived. It seemed as though my lack of

How does Fredrickson distinguish between race and ethnicity? How and under what circumstances can ethnicity become racialized’ (para.2)?

The phenomenon of race has unique facades. It is one of the most controversial bases for classifying human beings. Issues that spot racial perspectives are always hotly contested. Race is constructed from many social, cultural, political, or religious circumstances. Racial sentiments are born out of and fuelled by one or more such circumstances. In the light of this, there are several ways in which race could be constructed. These are essentially ways in which racial groupings are brought together. A specific racial group could be accorded unity through solidarity aimed at bringing them together for the sake of combating any negative collectively circumstances plaguing them. If a racial group has to grapple with a collective issue, there might

Internationalization is the term that can characterize the current state of the consumer market in many parts of the world (Dillard, p. 25). The world of business has evolved into a market where there are accommodations necessary to appeal to a larger market and gain a larger market share. Identifying the ethnic identity of a target market can help with the promotion status and product design for mass distribution. This study will examine the implications in identifying the ethnic identity of Latino and Asian consumers in the apparel and retail industry.

In contrast to the idea of race, Ethnicity refers to ethnic affiliation, or the “cultural practices and outlooks of a given community of people that set them apart from others” (Giddens, 1997:210). Members of a particular ethnic group see themselves as culturally distinct from other groups of people in a society or culture. There are different characteristics which serve as a way of

The concept of racial identity has been misunderstood and had been contested for the last few decades. As a biological category is concerned, race is derived from any person’s physical features, Gene pools and character qualities. The Caucasoid population is often considered as having more physical abilities and moral qualities followed by Mongoloid and the Negroid population. Racial identity is being considered as a surface level mainstream based on what we look about the matter of racial identities. Racial identities can adversely affect any relationship with the concept of learning that individuals get acquired in their own environments. Today theoretically as well as literally the manifestations of racial identity are discussed not only in the biological order but has been accepted as a social construction, which basically refers to a sense of a particular group or the collective identity based on one’s objective that he/she shares a common heritage with any of the social group concerned. Earlier readings have the contexts which determine that people were

In this essay, I will be arguing for the rights and privileges of minority groups. I believe that ‘special’ privileges do not give minorities excessive benefits, and that these privileges also do not infringe upon the rights or lifestyles of the majority. I will prove this through the examination of several aspects of society and nation, including equality, nation-building, and identity. These three characteristics of multiculturalism and society will help evidence the justification of minority rights in the face of opposing liberal majority interests. To establish the need for minority rights, the concept of multiculturalism must first be understood. Kymlicka describes multiculturalism as “an umbrella term for the claims of these ethnocultural

Ethnicity is defined as the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition. While this definition suggests a black and white concept, ethnicity is often complex and misunderstood due to the breadth of the topic. Frequently in society, young people inherit their ethnic identity at birth based on the culture they are born into. However, during puberty they often begin to doubt/explore their identity and strive to discover what ethnic group they belong in and not just the one they were assigned. This complex process has spurred psychologists to delve into the phenomenon of how differing cultures undergo this process of “finding themselves”. This research has culminated into a theory based on stages of ethnic development by Phinney & Ong. This paper will investigate further into this topic, in concern to Scarlett O’Hara, a fictional character portrayed in the film classic “Gone with the Wind”.

People who are apart of a minority have to endure discrimination and prejudice because of their differences. Discrimination is the act of unjust treatment to a person, group, or category in which they are perceived to be apart of. A group that has suffered from discrimination and attacks is the religious minority community. Those who are apart of any religion besides Hinduism are considered a religious minority. These consist of the religions: Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis. However, the word “minority” comes with special benefits for these groups of people. They are granted the privilege to form their own educational institutes, scholarships are offered to minority students, and also business loans are also provided to young entrepreneurs from these minority groups. Besides these positive aspects there’s also a negative side in which most people observe when they think of these religious groups.

The World War 2 was a significant turning point of ethnicity studies towards modern studies. There was a process of constructing modern nation-states with clear border or territories and diverse ethnicities around the world (Plianroong, 2010, p. 2). The process contributed to significance of ethnic identity when various ethnicities around the world had more interaction. “ Ethnicity became a key concept in addressing cultural difference in multicultural societies and as a concept aimed at surpassing the essentializing and biological analysis dominating earlier analyses of race.” (Georgious, 2006) The theorisation of new ethicities was evolved into the beginning of primally put identity into specific context of diaspora and translaitonalism according to “Stuart Hall’s (1988)analytical concept of new ethicities” (Georgious, 2006, p. 45). It is therefore diaspora and diasporic identities becomes hitherto interestedness.

When there are various ethnic groups within a community often, they find it difficult to co-exist due to the difference in their culture. In those communities, part of what made them places of identity and empowerment were elements of ethnic solidarity. "Aspects of religion,

Ethnic minorities around the world remain to face significant and major barriers to social mobility and equal opportunities and resources. One of the main risks that almost all minority groups face is being driven away from their land and deprived from their natural resources, which are vital and essential for their livelihood. In addition to systematic inequity, members of ethnic minorities can face day-to-day discrimination which can cause them to feel less welcome and accepted. Uyghur muslims in China and Kurds in Turkey illustrate and represent the problems faced by ethnic minorities, and how such problems have played an important role leading to political stability and a violation of human rights within a nation.