ETHNICITY

1. ETHNICITY

2. Think and Discuss • What is the difference between Race and Ethnicity? • How do YOU describe yourself in terms of race and ethnicity?

3. Ethnicity - Introduction • Ethnicity:group of people with a common identity based on a distinct but shared culture (i.e. common homeland, language, religion, or race). • Comes from Greek word “ethnos” which refers to a unique and cohesive group…i.e. us v. them

4. Ethnicity • Geographers are interested in where ethnicities are distributed across space • Ethnic groups are tied to a place • There is no globalizing ethnicity • Ethnicity is the strongest bulwark for preservation of local diversity – what does this mean?

5. Ethnicity v. Race • Ethnicity and race not necessarily same thing • Race = genetic traits, biologically inherited physical characteristics • Ethnicity involves more than biological characteristics. May include that, but goes well beyond to include person’s social and cultural identity….i.e. people of same race can form many different ethnicities • Examples?

6. Ethnicity • Ethnocentrism: one’s conviction of ethnic superiority (like racism for an ethnic group) • Ethnic groups usually have ties to a particular homeland – often leads to ethnic cleansing or violence to try to control piece of land • Ethnicity is strongest tie for local diversity against globalization. Even if globalization engulfs religion and language, ethnicity will likely remain • Do you agree?

7. Ethnic Distributions • In United States: • 13% African American • 15% Hispanic - this has been a change in the past 5 years. • 4% Asian American • 1% American Indian • (white/Caucasian not an ethnicity)….why not? • Any group missing?

8. Where are Ethnicities distributed? • Ethnicities may be clustered in specific areas within a country, or the area it inhabits may closely match the boundaries of a country • Distribution in U.S. • Clustering on two scales • May live in particular region(s) of the country • May live in particular neighborhoods within cities • Two largest ethnicities • Hispanics (Latinos) – 15% of population • African Americans – 13% of population • Regional Concentrations • South: African Americans • Southwest: Hispanics • West: Asians (4%) • Mid-West: Native Americans (1%)

13. Ethnic Clusters • Ethnic enclave: voluntary residential segregation based on ethnicity (i.e. ethnic neighborhoods…Hispanic barrios, China town, little Havana)

14. Race in the United States • Traits that characterize race are those that can be genetically transmitted from parents to children • Example: • Lactose intolerance in 95% Asian-Americans • Biological classification by race is the basis for racism • Idea that some races are superior to others • 2000 census • White • Black, African American • American Indian or Alaska Native • Asian Indian • Chinese • Filipino • Japanese • Korean • Vietnamese • Other Asian • Native Hawaiian • Guamanian • Samoan • Other Pacific Islander • Other race • Hispanic is Not considered a race!

16. De Jure Segregation and de facto segregation • De Jure: • Legal such as Black Codes, Jim Crow Laws and Plessy versus Ferguson • Overturned by Brown v. BOE • Nelson Mandela in S. Africa • De Facto: • Just happens in terms of ethnic clustering and ethnic enclaves • Vienna • DC • St. Louis

17. Segregation by Scale • Segregation can happen on 2 scales – within the region of a country or within neighborhoods of a city • Regional segregation U.S. • African Americans in South East and cities • Hispanics in South west • Asian Americans in west (Hawaii, CA) • Native Americans in SW and the plains

18. De Facto Segregation by Scale • Segregation within cities…..east side, west side, etc. • African Americans highly clustered in cities (@ ¼ of all Americans live in cities, but ½ of all African Americans in cities) • Ex: Chicago = 1/3 African Americans, Ill 1/12 African Americans • Ex: Detroit = 4/5 African Americans, Michigan 1/14 African Americans

19. De Facto Segregation by Scale • Ghetto: when ethnic groups were forced to live in parts of city usually in crowded, undesirable areas. Term came from Middle Ages w/ forced Jewish neighborhoods.

20. Key Issue #2 Starts here!

21. Why have Ethnicities been transformed into nations? • Who is an American?

22. Ethnicity transformed into Nationalities • Nationality: a group of people who share a legal attachment and personal allegiance to a particular country (is distinct from race and ethnicity, but often overlaps) • A Nation or nationality is a group of people tied together to a particular place through legal status and cultural traditions • i.e. we’re all American but different races and ethnicities

23. Rise of Nationalities • United States: • Nationality: • American – identifies citizens born in America or immigrants that have become citizens • Ethnicity: • identifies groups with distinct ancestry and cultural heritage • Example: African-American • Race: • distinguishes skin color • Genetic traits/ biological • NOT ALL AMERICANS IDENTIFY WITH AN ETHNICITY!!!

24. Nation-States • Nation-state: geo-political ideal - a state who’s territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality (i.e. Czech Republic, Japan) • To preserve and enhance distinctive cultural characteristics, ethnicities seek to govern themselves without interference • Self-determination: idea that ethnicity has right to govern themselves…has led to creation of new nation states and violence (i.e. Yugoslavia) • When did most of this happen?

25. Denmark • Denmark- good example of a nation-state • Territory occupied by Danish • Ethnicity corresponds to state of Denmark • Strong sense of unity • Derives from shared cultural characteristics • Shared culture and history more than 1,000 years • Speak same language • Problems: • Not 100% homogeneous • 10% minorities • Turkish guest workers • Refugees from Yugoslavia • Denmark controls two territories that do not share Danish cultural characteristics • Faeroe Islands • Greenland

26. Nationalism • A nationality must hold loyalty of citizens to survive • Governments try to instill loyalty through nationalism • Definition: loyalty and devotion to one’s nationality • Promoting symbols • Flags • Songs • anthems • Ex: Hammer and sickle of Communism • Holidays (legal) • Media • Can both promote and hinder nationalism • Independent source or government controlled • Sense of unity sometimes created through negative images of other nation-states • Can lead to conflict • Nationalism an example of centripetal force. • Definition: an attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state • “directed toward the center” • Opposite of centrifugal force • “To spread out from center”

27. In reality…nation states are rare • Multi-nation states:a country that contains 2 or more ethnic groups w/ traditions of self-determination that agree to co-exist and share power peacefully • UK w/ 4 nationalities (Eng, Scot, Wales, N Ire) • Russia = largest multi-nation state w/ 39 • United States • Canada – French and English speaking provinces

28. In reality, nation states are rare... • Multi –State Nations: When a cohesive ethnic group is scattered among different countries - Kurds - Jews - Serbs in Austro-Hungarian empire

29. Resurgence of Ethnic Identity • Last 20 yrs has seen resurgence of ethnic identity. During Cold War, Comm. dominated E. Eur and repressed ethn and cultural differences. After fall of Comm ethnicity rebounded- led to breakup of several states and ethnic violence • Ex: Yugoslavia – ethnic cleansing • USSR – dismantled along ethnic lines • Czechoslovakia (Velvet Divorce) All divided along cultural/ethnic divides

30. Multi-Ethnic States • Multi-Ethnic State: • contains more than one ethnicity • Sometimes all ethnicities contribute to cultural to create a single nationality • Example: United States • Has numerous ethnic groups, all of whom consider themselves as belonging to the American nationality

31. End of Key Issue #2

32. Ethnic Violence • Over 90% of world’s countries contain more than 1 ethnicity, all countries share borders w/ other ethnicities, and many otherwise cohesive ethnic groups have been artificially divided by political boundaries (i.e. nation state is rare ideal) • Sub Sahara Africa and Balkans esp plagued w/ ethnic violence (lots of ethnicities and country boundaries don’t match) – Scramble for Africa imposed boundaries across ethnic/tribal groups

33. Examples of Ethnic Violence • Ethiopia and Eritrea - 30 yr civil war, 665,000 Eritrean refugees fled to Sudan • Sudan – civil war since 1980s • Black Christian rebels in South V. Arab Muslim govn’t forces in North • Oppressive fundamentalist govn’t • Over 2 mill dead, 1 mill refuges

34. Examples of ethnic violence • Somalia: 6 major ethnic groups (clans) • Govnt collapse in 1990s, war betwn clans for power vacuum • Famine, 300,000 dead, refugees • US sent in troops (Black Hawk Down)

35. Africa – Locate… Sudan Ethiopia Eritrea Rwanda Burundi Somalia S. Africa

36. Examples of Ethnic Violence • Lebanon - @ 60% Muslim, 30% Christian, 10% other • Militant Muslim sect – Hezbollah • Civil war • Kurds – ethn divided among several states (25 mill divided betwn 6 countries) – multi state nation • Fought for ind in Turkey and Iraq

37. Examples of Ethnic Violence • Great Migration – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh • British leave in 1847, ethnic fight • Hindus – India, Muslims – E.W. Pakistan • India has hundreds of lang and ethnic groups and Hinduism has been centripetal force • @ 17 mill moved – some killed by extremists on both sides • Still fight over Kashmir – in the north

39. Examples of Ethnic Violence • Sri Lanka – Sinhalese V. Tamils • 60,000 dead since fighting began in 1983 • Sinhalese – 74% Buddhist in S. • Tamils – 18% Hindus in N. • Tamils feel discriminated against, ongoing fighting

41. Ethnic Cleansing • In worst cases ethnic violence can lead to ethnic cleansing – process by which more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes less powerful ethnic group in order to create ethnic homogeneity. Can be achieved by.. • Forced migration - push out, burn homes, destroy towns • Genocide: premeditated effort to kill all from certain ethnic group (Holocaust)

42. Yugoslav Map

43. Yugoslavia – the Balkans • Yug had 5 ethnicities – Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, Montenegrins • Communist – Josip Tito subdued ethnic animosities, forged Yugoslav identity…fireball erupts after Tito’s death & fall of Comm (1980s) • Croats helped Nazi Germans round up and kill Serbs during WW II • Tito – at right – held Yugoslavia together for several decades

44. Yugoslavia – Cont’d • Ethnic cleansing in Bosnia – 40% Muslim, 32% Serb, 18% Croat – Serbs and Croats want to join with Crotia and Serbia. To strengthen claim, ethnically cleanse Bosnian Muslims. • Kosovo: S. province of Serbia and Montenegro was 90% Albanian. Serbs use ethnic cleansing to push Albanians off land into nation of Albania. US and NATO bombed Serbia and forced Serbia to withdraw from Kosovo.

45. Yugoslavia – cont’d • At left Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic – charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Died of a heart attack while awaiting trial at the Hague

46. Yugoslavia - contd • Results of ethnic violence • Bosnian Serbs = 33% pop got 50% country • Bosnian Croats = 18% pop got 25%country • Bosnian Muslims = 44% pop got 27% country • Balkanization – the breakdown of a state through ethnic conflict – i.e. shatterbelt

47. E. Europe After Fall of Comm • USSR – dismantled Czechoslovakia velvet divorce Yugoslavia – split Balkanization All ethnic divisions

48. Ethnic Cleansing • Rwanda and Burundi • Hutus V. Tutsi • Tutsi – minority but treated better under colonial rule (lighter skin, taller, got govnt jobs and education) • Independence – Hutu majority ethnically cleanse Tutsi minority • Spirals into civil war…million dead, millions of refugees

50. GENDER • Gender: cultural reference to socially created distinctions (not biological) between masculinity – femininity • Gender Equity women’s welfare (i.e. education, health care, career, social roles, political power, etc.) Women’s welfare lags far behind in much of the world