Ethnic group: Difference between revisions

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An '''ethnic group''' is traditionally defined as a [[population]] that meets four broad criteria, as pointed out by [[Fredrik Barth]]<ref>Barth 1969: 10-11.</ref>:
An '''ethnic group''' is broadly defined as a [[population]] whose members identify with one another as distinct from others.  This usually occurs through a perceived common history, and might also include shared [[culture]], [[race]], [[religion]], or [[language]].<ref>Maybury-Lewis 2002: 47.</ref>  
#is largely biologically self-perpetuating
#shares fundamental cultural values, realized in overt unity in cultural forms
#makes up a field of communication and interaction
#has a membership which identifies itself, and is identified by others, as constituting a category distinguishable from other categories of the same order.


This basic definition is widely used in [[anthropology]], and serves as the starting point for several important scholars in their work on topic of ethnic groups.
The study of ethnic groups falls under the purview of several fields, including [[anthropology]], [[sociology]], and [[history]].
 
==Frederik Barth==


==Anthropology==
===Frederik Barth===




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==Sources and Further Reading==
==Sources and Further Reading==
*Barth, Fredrik, ed. 1969. Ethnic Groups and Boundaries: The Social Organization of Cultural Difference. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
*Barth, Fredrik, ed. 1969. Ethnic Groups and Boundaries: The Social Organization of Cultural Difference. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
*Maybury-Lewis, David. 2002. Indigenous Peoples, Ethnic Groups, and the State. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN 0205337465




[[Category:Anthropology Workgroup]]
[[Category:Anthropology Workgroup]]
[[Category:CZ Live]]
[[Category:CZ Live]]

Revision as of 04:19, 20 February 2007

An ethnic group is broadly defined as a population whose members identify with one another as distinct from others. This usually occurs through a perceived common history, and might also include shared culture, race, religion, or language.[1]

The study of ethnic groups falls under the purview of several fields, including anthropology, sociology, and history.

Anthropology

Frederik Barth

Notes

  1. Maybury-Lewis 2002: 47.

Sources and Further Reading

  • Barth, Fredrik, ed. 1969. Ethnic Groups and Boundaries: The Social Organization of Cultural Difference. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
  • Maybury-Lewis, David. 2002. Indigenous Peoples, Ethnic Groups, and the State. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN 0205337465