Ethnic: Positive and Negative Implications (Essay Sample)

Ethnicity
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Ethnicity
Ethnicity is a very broad aspect that has both positive and negative implications. For a long period questions regarding ethnicity have made headlines for much news. But one may ask the meaning of ethnicity. Ethnicity is the aspect of belonging to the particular social group. Such social groups should have a familiar traditional or rather national customs or traditions. Examples of an ethnic group may include the Indians since they share a lot of traditions. Ethnicity has close meaning with the word race. A race is always a group of individuals who share some common physical characters. However, ethnicity is much broader considered to race. The physical characteristics that bring the distinctiveness may include elements like the skin color, color of the eyes, narrow noses, lips among other features (Yinger,1994 p.43).
People who share the same ethnic groups tend to speak in the same languages. It is like that since the people may share even the same ancestry, origin, cultural heritage besides homeland. Ethnicity has brought many controversial debates in the world. For a long period, some ethnic groups feel that they are superior to others. The ones that feel superior would like to oppress the other inferior ethnic groups (Eriksen, 2002 p. 67).
Many people regard ethnicity to be highly problematic compared to ethnic origin. Some of the modern largest ethnic groups include the Arabs, the Jews, the Assyrians, Balochis, and the Basques beside others. In prominent nations such as the United States of America, most of the minority groups have retained their link to their ethnicity. They retain their identity especially in the cities. This minority include the immigrants. The immigrants mainly get attracted to the ethnic communities developed by the individuals from their original homelands in which they maintain their unique traditional customs and general features and characteristics (Eriksen, 2002 p. 46). Most debates are grounded on two angles, the primordialism, and the instrumentalism. The other aspects are the constructivism and the essentialism. Those who coined the primordialism aspect of life argued that took ethnicity and the bonds of ethnicity jointly, as those that are externally given, even forcible, and societal relationships. Whereas, the instrumentalist viewed ethnicity mere like any other ad-hoc of political strategy, which some individuals use as a resource and stepping stone to achieving some secondary benefits to these people (Ghai, 2010 p. 56). They regard ethnicity as a tool that these put method to add them more wealth, attain political status quo among others.
Furthermore, the constructivists perceive ethnicity and nationality as the results of historical forces, habitua...