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Reader’s letter: Lessons in race, ethnicity, culture
There seems to be much confusion and misconception among ordinary citizens, writers and even on government questionnaires about the following terms: (a) nationality, (b) race, (c) ethnicity and culture.
Very briefly, nationality refers to a person’s citizenship, his allegiance to a nation where he was born or in which he chose to become naturalized.
Race is a biological grouping of human beings. Anthropologists agreed on the existence of three relatively distinct groups of people with similar physical traits such as skin color, hair type and color and facial features. These traits are transmitted by heredity through genes. The three human races are Caucasoid (Caucasian or white), Mongoloid (Asian) and Negroid (black). Not every member of a race will exhibit all distinguishing traits. These races arose in response to mutation, geographic adaptation and genetic drift, so there are no “pure” races anywhere in the world.
Ethnicity refers to a group’s culture, its common history, way of living, ideas, skills, arts, its values and language. Culture is what a human society transmits from one generation to the next by language, experience and other symbolic media. Cultural universals include social and economic organization, religion and material culture such as distinctive clothing, tools and weapons. Customs, beliefs and attitudes among groups are spread by direct or indirect contact, leading to the process of civilization and refinement of its people.
Ethnic groups may exist within a larger community, and often are of the same nationality, but the terms ethnicity and nationality are not synonymous; neither are race and ethnicity.
The labels “Latino” and “Hispanic” are often used interchangeably, but these do not constitute a separate race. Latinos may be of any race and citizens of any of the 20 republics that constitute Latin America: Mexico, Central and South America where Spanish is the national language, and including Portuguese in Brazil.
I sincerely hope this helps clarify the subject.
Nell Sehestedt
Joshua Tree
Very briefly, nationality refers to a person’s citizenship, his allegiance to a nation where he was born or in which he chose to become naturalized.
Race is a biological grouping of human beings. Anthropologists agreed on the existence of three relatively distinct groups of people with similar physical traits such as skin color, hair type and color and facial features. These traits are transmitted by heredity through genes. The three human races are Caucasoid (Caucasian or white), Mongoloid (Asian) and Negroid (black). Not every member of a race will exhibit all distinguishing traits. These races arose in response to mutation, geographic adaptation and genetic drift, so there are no “pure” races anywhere in the world.
Ethnicity refers to a group’s culture, its common history, way of living, ideas, skills, arts, its values and language. Culture is what a human society transmits from one generation to the next by language, experience and other symbolic media. Cultural universals include social and economic organization, religion and material culture such as distinctive clothing, tools and weapons. Customs, beliefs and attitudes among groups are spread by direct or indirect contact, leading to the process of civilization and refinement of its people.
Ethnic groups may exist within a larger community, and often are of the same nationality, but the terms ethnicity and nationality are not synonymous; neither are race and ethnicity.
The labels “Latino” and “Hispanic” are often used interchangeably, but these do not constitute a separate race. Latinos may be of any race and citizens of any of the 20 republics that constitute Latin America: Mexico, Central and South America where Spanish is the national language, and including Portuguese in Brazil.
I sincerely hope this helps clarify the subject.
Nell Sehestedt
Joshua Tree
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mydoit2002 wrote on Jan 7, 2009 11:29 PM: