Abstract
The word “ethnicity” seems to summarise the main questions on cultural differences1, communities, social conflicts2 and the difficulties in achieving collective cohesion in late modern societies. My aim is to analyse the different cultural, social and political usage of this construct in recent public discourse. In particular, I would like to focus on why the concepts of “ethnic groups”, “ethnicity” and “ethnisation” have changed semantically, historically and socially in the present socio-political debates, scientific domain and communication field. I do not want to refute completely the concept of ethnicity. But I want to stress that we should consider more carefully the “appropriateness” of social constructions and concepts both in public discourse and the social sciences, in order to avoid the continued segregation or marginalization of social groups and minorities that result from using fixed classifications.
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Indeed, the notion of ethnicity is a loan–concept from classical antiquity, successfully imported into Africa when Europeans were at pains to impose some form of classification over the various forms of social order which they met on their way through this (very ancient) new world. Neither would anyone deny that social or cultural distinctiveness was, and still is, in Rwanda as indeed anywhere, deeply shaped by the ongoing transition to modernity.“, Jean–Luc Vellut, ”Ethnicity and genocide in Rwanda“, Times Literary. Supplement,15–7–1994, p.17.
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Ethnos: a group of people linked by both nationality and race. These bonds are usually unconsciously accepted by the members of the group, but outsiders observe the homogeneity“, Charles Winch (1969), Dictionary of Anthropology,New York: Greenword, p.193.
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See for example the books published by the Oxford University Press.
I refer to the collected materials and empirical research done by my students for my course on: Etnia e ri-etnicizznzione (1992–1994), Milan: Dipartimento di Scienze del Territorio, Facoltà di Architettura - Politecnico.
Cf. Marie Gillespie (1995), Television, ethnicity and cultural change, London-New York: Routledge. See also the videotape: The Black and White Media Show ( 1995 ), London: BBC.
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Yael Tamir (ed.) (1995): “Democratic Education in a Multicultural State”, Special Issue of the Journal of Philosophy of Education, n. 1.
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Calloni, M. (1999). Culture, Territory, and Ethnisation. In: Apitzsch, U. (eds) Migration und Traditionsbildung. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-91622-8_8
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