Ethnicity

Citation

Ni Loingsigh A (2019) Ethnicity. In: Forsdick C, Kinsley Z & Walchester K (eds.) Keywords for Travel Writing Studies: A Critical Glossary. London: Anthem Press, pp. 84-86. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvg5bsp2.33

Abstract
‘Ethnicity’ is a fluid concept that interconnects in complex ways with other forms of social identification. It refers to notions of belonging based on shifting combinations of common geographical origins and cultural traditions. Etymologically, the term derives from the Greek ethnos. Originally, ethnos denoted large groups of animals or insects and, by metaphorical association, invading armies ‘where great size, amorphous structure, and threatening mobility’ were emphasized (Tonkin et al. 1996, 19). This early use evolved to describe groups of people with a shared identity yet who were always also ‘other’, usually in an inferior way. By the mid-nineteenth century, ethnos...