Ch07_Ethnicity

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Chapter 7

Ethnicity

Victoria Alapo, Instructor Geog 1050

An Introduction to Human Geography

The Cultural Landscape, 9eJames M. Rubenstein



D ifference between µRace¶ andµEthnic Group¶

Many Americans wrongly use ³race´ & ³ethnic group´ interchangeablythe way they use ³religion´ and ³denomination´.

What¶s the difference?

± You r ethnic gr

ou p is y

ou r c

ul t u

re/ l ang

u age e.g. Germanperson, Yoruba person, Cherokee person. In other words, what

used to be called ³tribes´. So ethnic groups are Culture Groups,see pg 220. On the other hand, race is your SKIN COLOR (i.e.based on genetics , not culture). See next slide.

± You can have people belonging to the same race, but not thesame ethnic group. E.g. not all white people are German. Not allBlacks are Yorubas. Not all Native Americans are Cherokee, notall East Asians are Chinese, etc«Ethnic groups are based oncultural affiliation, not on color .

Clustering of ethnicities and races in the United States &Division by race in South Africa (see maps and next slides)



D ifference between µRace¶ and

µEthnic Group¶Races± Even though there is just a single species of humans, Anthropologists

use secondary biological characteristics e.g. skin color, eyes, hair, etcto classify the human race into different racial groupings . This is not

the same as ³racism´. Racism is when people carry theseclassifications (and their implications) too far . E.g . presuming humanability , potential, etc. on color .

± 3 main races: Caucasoid (White), Negroid (Black) and Mongoloid(Asian). But there are others e.g. Native American (Red), etc. Whatabout Hispanics? Actually, ³Hispanic´ is not race , it¶s an EthnicGroup. Why? P g 227.

± As Census 2000 shows though, sometimes people are hard toclassify (if they have a mixed racial heritage, e.g. our P resident.Unless you use the dominant features of the individual). See pg 227.



A frican Am ericans in the U.S.

The highest percentages of African Americans are in the rural South and in northern cities.



Hispanic Am ericans in the U.S.

The highest percentages of Hispanic Americans are in the southwest and in northern cities.



A sian Am ericans in the U.S.

The highest percentages of Asian Americans are in Hawaii and California.



Ethnicities & Nationalities

Rise of nationalities± N ationalism means loyalty & devotion to a

nationality (patriotism).± N ation-states are where the territory coincides

with the ethnic group. But many sovereign states,esp. in Africa, do not contain unified nations.

Multinational States± N igeria is probably one of the best examples, with

over 400 different ethnic groups. See pg 167.± Former Soviet Union, and present-day Russia.

See next slide. Russia is one of the largest multinational states, and has 39 nationalities,many of which are eager for independence.During the Soviet Union, nationalism wassuppressed.



Ethnic Groups in Russia

Russia officially recognizes 3 9 ethnic groups, or nationalities, which are concentrated in

western and southern portions of the country.



Ethnicities in the Caucasus

The Caucasus region is extremely diverse ethnically; this causes turmoil.

Ethnic groups are spread across several national boundaries.



Clashes of Ethnicities

Dividing ethnicities among more than one state± T he Kurds (30 million) lived in independent Kurdistan in

1920. T heir country disappeared when T urkey was re-created and expanded in 1923. N ow they are found in 6 different countries. An example of a S tate l ess Nati o n .Pg 242. Other examples of clashes:

± Dividing ethnicities in South Asia (India)±

Dividing Sri Lanka among ethnicities± Ethnic competition in the Horn of Africa± Ethnic competition in Lebanon



Ethnic Groups in Southwest A sia

Ethnic boundaries do not match country boundaries,

especially in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and P akistan.



Ethnicities in A frica

The boundaries of African States do not (and cannot) coincide with the

thousands of ethnic groups on the continent. In Geography, we MEAN ³Sovereign States´.



Ethnicity in the Horn of A frica

There have been numerous interethnic civil conflicts in the countries of the Horn of Africa (including the Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia).



Ethnicities in Lebanon

Christians, Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, and D ruze are dominant indifferent areas of the country.



T he Balkans in 1914

The northern part of the Balkans was part of Austria-Hungary in 1914, while much of the southwas part of the Ottoman Empire. T he country of Yugoslavia was created after World War I,

which contained MA

NY ethnic groups.



Ethnic Regions in Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia¶s six republics until 1992 included much ethnic diversity. Brutal ethnic cleansing

occurred in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo during the civil wars of the 1990s.



Ethnic Cleansing

Ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia± Creation & destruction of multi-ethnic Yugoslavia. See next

slide and aerial photography in text, pg 248.

± B a lk anizati o n: the pr o cess by which a S tate brea k sd o wn thr u c o nf l icts am o ng its ethnicities. E.g. the caseo f Yu g o s l avia.

± Balkanization is regarded as a threat to peace, since it could spread beyond the local area into neighboring countries: for instance, conflict in the Balkans led to WW1.

Ethnic cleansing in central Africa e.g. Rwanda (Hutusvs. Tutsis).



F orced Migrations after World War II

Territorial changes after World War II resulted in many migrations,

especially by P oles, Germans, and Russians.



Ethnic D ivision of South A sia

At independence in 1947, British India was divided into India and P akistan, resulting in themigration of 17 million people and many killings. In 1971, after a brutal civil war,

East P akistan became the country of Bangladesh.



J a mm u and Kash m ir

Although its population is mainly Muslim, much of Jammu and Kashmir becamepart of India in 1947. India and P akistan have fought two wars over the territory,

and there has been a separatist insurgency in the area.



Sinhalese and T a m ils in Sri Lanka

The Sinhalese are mainly Buddhist and speak an Indo-European language, while the Tamils aremainly Hindu and speak a D ravidian language. The Sinhalese dominate govt.,

so the Tamils feel cheated.

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