Ethnic Identity

The construct ethnic identity can best be understood through an examination of its etymological origins. The term ethnic has Latin and Greek origins, ethnicus and ethnikas, both meaning “nation.” It can and has been used historically to refer to people as heathens. Ethos, in Greek, means “custom,” “disposition,” or “trait.” Ethnikas and ethos taken together therefore can mean a band of people (nation) living together who share and acknowledge common customs. The second part of the construct, identity, has Latin origins and is derived from the word identitas; the word is formed from idem, meaning “same.” Thus, the term is used to express the notion of sameness, likeness, and oneness. More precisely, identity means “the sameness of a person or thing at all times in all circumstances; the condition or fact that a person or thing is itself and not something else” (Simpson & Weiner, 1989, p. 620). Combining the definitions and interpretations of identity and ethnicity, it can be concluded that they mean, or at minimum imply, the sameness of a band or nation of people who share common customs, traditions, historical experiences, and in some instances geographical residence. At one level of interpretation, the combined definition is sufficient to capture the manner in which identity is generally conceptualized and used to understand ethnocultural influences on its formation and development. At another level, identity is almost synonymous with ethnicity, prompting some sociologists, such as Herbert Gans (2003), to suggest that identity is no longer a useful term. In addition, because of its increasing popularity, identity is rapidly becoming a cliché and therefore more and more difficult to understand (Gleason, 1996). This entry begins with an overview of historical approaches to ethnic identity and then moves to contemporary understandings and continued challenges in defining the construct.