Definition of
Ethnic group
In order to discover the meaning of the term ethnic groupwe are going to proceed first to know the etymological origin of the two words that give it shape:
-Group, first of all, is a word about which there are different theories. However, the one that gains more strength indicates that it emanates from the Indo-European root “ger-3”, which could be translated as “crooked”. From there he went to Germanic, Italian and French. It came to this last language as “groupe”, which meant “group of objects in painting” and “group of people”.
-Ethnic, secondly, we can indicate that it derives from the Greek. Specifically, it comes from “ethnikos”, which is the result of the sum of two components of said language: the noun “ethnos”, which means “people” or “nation”, and the suffix “-ico”, which is used to indicate “relating to”.
- What is an ethnic group
- Some considerations
- Examples of ethnic groups
- Discrimination and violence
- Related Topics Tree
What is an ethnic group
A set of people, animals, plants or other elements can be called cluster. Ethnicon the other hand, is that linked to a ethnicity: a community of human beings that is formed from cultural, racial, religious or other similarities or affinities.
A ethnic grouptherefore, is a grouping of individuals who share certain characteristics with which they identify. In general, the subjects that make up an ethnic group have a history in common and ties to the same territory.
It can serve you: Social group
Some considerations
The idea of ethnic group is usually related to sociocultural factors. That is why it is not very common for an ethnic group to be determined by the race, associated with biological issues. The definition of ethnicity, however, is often a matter of debate.
It is important to note that ethnic groups are not directly linked to a country or State. That is why the members of a certain group can be distributed in different places. In turn, several ethnic groups can coexist in a State.
See also: Racism
Examples of ethnic groups
The kurdsfor example, constitute an ethnic group with a presence in Türkiye, Iraq, Iran and Syria. The igbofor their part, live in Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroonamong others countries africans.
One of the most widespread ethnic groups that do not identify with any State in particular are the gypsies either roma. Although nowadays they are usually sedentarythe gypsies were nomads for a long time.
Other ethnic groups that exist throughout the world are the following:
-The Bribri, who live in Talamanca (Costa Rica) and who survive thanks to the crops they grow (vegetables, bananas, cassava…) and the animals they raise, such as chickens. They have their own language, called bribri, their religion is animist and it is the grandmothers who are in charge of transmitting the traditions and the language to the new generations.
-The urus, who live on the floating islands around Lake Titicaca. They have rites to honor the Earth and their way of life and social hierarchy is totally primitive.
Follow on: Banana
Discrimination and violence
Many times, minority ethnic groups in a country suffer persecutions or are discriminated against.
There are even ethnic groups that were victims of genocide or forced into exile.
See also: Bipartisanship