The Pros and Cons of Ethnic Identification

Many circumstances oblige people to move from their native country to a foreign one. From this movement of migration have emerged many ethnic groups. An ethnic group is a restraint number of persons living in a larger society and sharing the same distinct cultural heritage. Some people tend to bury their habits and accommodate to the new way of life. However others hold on to their identity and try to identify their race and maintain it. This enriches societies and makes them multi-racial. Therefore, every ethnic group is essential to complete the mosaic. Although they are sometimes threatened, minorities must fight to preserve their principles. Why must they fight? Because racial identification has many positive impacts on the members. But it’s undeniable that this way is invaded by dangers. After evoking the positive and negative aspects of ethnic identification, we will suggest some solutions to overcome the problems.

In a multi-ethnic society, diversity is a sign of richness. Conflicts don’t arise from differences. They are somehow caused by intolerance. Therefore, if everyone respects the other and the majority gets along with minorities, they can cohabit peacefully and be a good example for the rest of the world. For example, China considers that all ethnic groups are equal and try to guarantee their rights. There are 55 ethnic groups living there in harmony.

Cons in part, minorities cooperate with the government by developing their own social system. These distinct institutions are integrated in the larger system and help people express themselves. That’s how ethnic groups satisfy themselves legally without bothering the society.

Moreover, research conducted over the last 15 years has confirmed the importance of ethnic...

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...guage. Jews who have immigrated to Australia still practice their religious habits.

Briefly, ethnic identification is necessary to people’s psychological well-being but we can’t deny that the idea of races is a problematic concept. Race and Ethnicity are controversial terms that are defined and used by people in many different ways. Some persons say that an identity can’t be fixed that’s why a study published in the September/October issue of the journal Child Development and supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) proved that adolescents from multi-racial families tend to shift their reported racial category as they move from early adolescence to young adulthood. This experience incites us to think again about racial identification and assures that this issue is very debatable.