Race and Ethnicity Chap 7

Definitions Ethnicity – identity of a group of people who share the cultural traditions of a particular homeland Ex: Italian Race – identity based on biological ancestry Ex: Caucasian HOWEVER most contemporary geographers find race to only be skin deep literally No variation in species among different races Humans are generally genetically the same

Ethnicities in the Contig. US

breakdown in US – Importance of Migration African-Americans are most likely to be found in the Southeast Asian-Americans are heavily concentrated in Hawai’i and California Latinos are most likely to be found in Southwestern states, with California hosting 1/3 of all American Latinos In the US, Latino and African-Americans are overwhelmingly found in urban areas

Legacy of Race in the US Has been a major issue for a long time Slavery (obviously) “Separate but equal” in schools and public facilities until 1954 Jim Crow laws “White Flight” to suburbs “Blockbusting” – to discourage blacks from moving into a neighborhood

Nationality V. Ethnicity Nationality is technically linked to a particular country For Americans, we use nationality to mean place of birth and ethnicity to be ancestral relations Nationalism needs support through politicians Nationalism is a centripetal force – used to UNIFY people or enhance support for a state. P – PULL together Centrifugal force – spread out from the center and fall away from each other. F – FALL away

Multi-Ethnic States Coexistence of multiple ethnic groups Ex: Great Britain – Wales, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland

Multi-ethnic states w. ISSUES Russia 39 Nationalities 20% are non-Russian Major issue now is Chechens (Sunni Muslims) Tried to declare freedom in 1991 Responsible, or claim responsibility, for many terrorist acts within Russia

Issues Cont. Armenia- small Christian state surrounded by Muslim states. Armenian genocide of early 20th century was a Turkish attempt to ethnically cleanse the area of Armenians. Azerbaijan - Turks and Iranian ethnicities clash Georgia – Ossetians and Abkhazians basically operate two separate nations within the borders. Commonalities among these areas?

Clashing of Ethnicities Religious differences Power for control of government Territory issues, sometimes HISTORICALLY- based battles Can ultimately lead to ethnic cleansing