Ethnicity
Symbolic Ethnicity
Symbolic ethnicity comes in the form of claiming ethnic tradtions as your own when situationally convenient, granting a feeling of being 'special'.
ex. Holidays, tradional food, clothing.
Optional vs Non-optional
"OPTIONAL ETHNICITIES
For Whites Only? "
Mary C. Waters
European White-Americans have the choice to exercise the option whether to claim a specific ethnicity, whereas racial minorities (blacks, hispanics, asians, etc, do not have the option. Racial minorities lives are influenced by their race and origin regardless of identity choice.
A term created by Herbert Gans (1979). Refers to ethnicity being individualistic in nature and with out real social cost for said individual. (waters 1990)
Research Question
Does optional and symbolic ethnicity only apply to Whites?
Symbolic ethnicity only applies to whites. However, high rates of intermarriage have further blurred distinct ethnic lines, allowing minorities to claim different ethnicities. There is a clear difference between white and minority particiaption in symbolic ethnicity due to the fact that racial minorities are continuously forced in to an assumed ethnicity because of race.
Race and ethnicity is not optional for minorities because of societal views, however the increase of 'mixed races' allow for multicultural backgrounds and experiences.
The Struggle Of Being Mixed Race
Conclusion
The reason symbolic ethnicity applies to whites is because they can claim other ethnicitys with no cost to them.
Unfortunetly ethnicities are still not viewed as equal to the societal eye and Asian-American, African-American, Latin-American, etc, continue to face a barrier of racial identitiy. Societies need to break down these barriers for there to be actually equality to choose ones ethnicity.
Definition:
A large group of people with a shared culture, language, history, set of traditions, etc.
Race,
Ethnicity,
& Nationality,
Different or
the Same?
