Blackwell Reference Online

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Ethnic groups are fundamental units of social organization which consist of members who define themselves, or are defined, by a sense of common historical origins that may also include religious beliefs, a similar language, or a shared culture. Their continuity over time as distinct groups is achieved through the intergenerational transmission of culture, traditions, and institutions. Ethnic groups can be distinguished from kinship groups in as much as ties of kin arise largely from biological inheritance. The term is derived from the Greek word ethnos , which can be translated as a people or a nation. The sociologist Max Weber provided one of the most important modern definitions of ethnic groups as “human groups (other than kinship groups) which cherish a belief in their common origins of such a kind that it provides the basis for the creation of a community.” There are two competing perspectives on ethnic groups: objectivist and subjectivist. Objectivists, taking an etic stance, assert that ethnic groups are inherently distinct social and cultural entities that possess boundaries which delineate their interaction and socialization with others. Subjectivists, on the other hand, embrace an emic perspective and regard ethnic groups as self-categorizations that determine their social behavior within and outside the group. Subjectivists like Frederik Barth argued that ethnic groups ... log in or subscribe to read full text