Social and Political Dimensions of Ethnicity

Social and Political Dimensions of Ethnicity

Author Name : Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Dr. Dimple Chaudhary

ABSTRACT

 Most insurgencies in North East have ethnic background, it is important to understand ethnicity. Ethnicity is a sense of identity or a feeling of belonging to a particular ethnic group. In Latin (ethnicas) and Greek (ethnikas), ethnicity means nation. Ethnikas and ethos taken together can mean a band of people (nation) living together who share knowledge and acknowledge common customs. Generally, ethnic identity is most often considered synonymous with race or racial identity and hence with ethnicity. Ethnicity also involves a claim to status or recognition either as a superior group or as a group at least equal to other groups, in addition to subjective self-consciousness. In anthropology, the term ‘ethnic’ is used to describe social group, the members of which share some aspects of a common and distinctive culture, religion, language and believe in common ancestry. To these may be added another factor i.e inhabiting common territory. As per Ashley Crossman, ethnicity is a concept referring to a shared culture and way of life. This can be reflected in language, religion, material culture such as clothing and food, and cultural products such as music and art. Ethnicity is often a major source of social cohesion and social conflict. Ethnicity is the term for the culture of people in a given geographic region, including their language, heritage, religion and customs. To be a member of an ethnic group is to conform to some or all of those practices. Ethnicity has both positive and negative fallouts. An appreciation of one’s own social roots in a community without disparaging other groups is a positive aspect, whereas instability in multi ethnic society is a negative aspect.

Key Words: Ethnicity, Insurgency, Ethnicas, Ethnikas, Conflict,Racial identity, Ethnic identity