What makes someone a part of an ethnic group?

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Is it self-recognition as part of that group, coupled with agreement from that group that they belong? Is it speaking their language fluently? Is it genetic? Is it simply being part of a national state?

I think it's not genetic because ethnic groups are social constructs that often include entire former ethnic groups that were absorbed over time, such as the Manchus being absorbed into the Han in China.

Would you consider Austrians to be German? Would Americans count as an ethnic group? Are Swedish-speaking Finns Swedish or Finnish? Are people in San Marino Italians?

This.

So if I considered myself Chinese, and most Chinese people agreed with me, I would be Chinese? (keep in mind I haven't a smidgeon of East Asian in me)

Yes.

Ethnicity is just genetics in my opinion. Culturally you can identify with another group but that doesn't change your own ethnicity.

In theory, yes. In practice, most Chinese people won't agree with you without some genetic traits giving you a Chinese "look".

Things get confusing when a person is multi-racial/ethnic and the ethinic group they identify with can't come to a consensus on whether or not they belong. This happens often in the U.S., leading to some ugly conflicts.

Genetics is a part of it, not because we can actually see people's DNA, but because there are some visible results of DNA in a person's appearance.

I think it's basically a mishmash of things, with some amount of genetics, language, history, nationality, and/or deliberate affiliation with the ethnic group. How much and which of these things it takes depends on the ethnic group.

Consider the circumstances of Gabi Dresnok.

His father is American, his mother is presumed to have been Romanian. He was born in North Korea and has lived there all his life. He is blond, blue-eyed and speaks English with a Korean accent. He has lived in North Korea all his life and considers himself to be Korean.

So what's his ethnicity? He is genetically European, but in the context of the life that he has lived, that is meaningless.

That doesn't change that he is ethnically European. He is simply a North Korean as European descent.

Ethnicity is a mixture of heritage, culture, language, and traditionally also religion. Culture is the most important part, imho. Genetics don't really come into it, since many cultures have had a great genetic diversity for a long time.

Think of the English culture for example. Descendants of Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Iberians, Romans, Danes and Normans all share the same ethnicity nowadays. More recent immigrants still adhere to the culture of their country of origin and are therefore seen as ethnic minorities, but that has not much to do with their genetic makeup.

Last edited by CrazyCatLord on 02 Mar 2012, 1:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

You have to be brown and vaguely foreign