Why it is important to recognise prevalence and influence of ethnicity in our lives

As we continually strive to achieve a more integrated, connected and inclusive world, ethnicity is one of the most dominant, influential and unignorable factors one must take cognizance of. An ethnicity is essentially a social group to which individuals belong, in lieu of their culture, religion, cuisine or language. What adds to the complications of understanding ethnicity, is the fact that it is not only inextricably linked with race, but it is also confused for a subset of race, or used interchangeably. Race very specifically pertains to distinctly observable physical features of biological origin, while ethnicity is inclusive of various other markers. The partition of India and Pakistan is a historic example of religion based ethnic segregation and separation, in many ways. Being biologically determined, one’s race is non negotiable. However, although one’s ethnicity is also somewhat ascribed based on several of the aforementioned factors, it involves an additional role of agency that ultimately guides us in shaping our understanding of what an ethnicity is. Sociologically, agency is the capacity of individuals to engage in actions and decisions to fulfil their potential.  Ethnicity is multifaceted, and agency helps us choose which aspects of our identity to selectively self assert, based on the context and appropriateness of a social situation. We often change the order of details in our introduction, depending on whom we are talking to. At times we choose to highlight our occupation, or the region we hail from, but at times also choose to hide our religion or caste, that ultimately gives us the leeway to somewhat sculpt the way others view us. The very fact that we can choose to censor what other people see of us is a matter of privilege. However, we must understand that this privilege is not available to everyone, since we rely on the ‘visibility’ of ethnic markers as cues to make inferences about people in order to include or exclude them from categories and groups. Black people cannot hide their skin complexion, East Asians cannot hide their facial features, but external religious and cultural artefacts can be hidden and conveniently obscured. The privilege to be able to dissociate from an identity that has been ascribed to us, and to be able to construct a more socially accepted one, constitutes what is known as the fluidity of ethnicity. Mixed race children born from parents of different ethnicities often face problems in self exploration of their identity, and are a classic example of how this fluidity of ethnicity operates in our society. Differential race, geographical, cultural and ethnic experiences of a mixed race child collide; they are unsure of which ones to subscribe and adhere to, which ones to reject, and which ones to define themselves by, which holds potential to transform into identity confusion and risk of being bullied at school and other places as ‘diluted’ versions of either of the many identities they simultaneously wield.  Ethnicity and nationality are often used interchangeably, and for mixed race children who frequently change regions of countries, the challenge of identity exploration becomes even more profound. Increasingly it can be observed that ethnic markers and artefacts are now being used to further political agendas. For instance, the emotional reactions elicited from people in association to the saffron colour is being used as a politico-religious bait to get others to align with certain ideologies, many of which are divisive in nature. The consequences of which are protests, riots and political upheaval, that do nothing but feed into a vicious cycle. Blindly blaming “saffron” is so incorrect. Most “saffronistas” are in fact, patriotic nationalists who work for the larger good of the society and brave many odds every single day, to preserve their ideology, culture, legacy and civilisational ethos. The objective versus subjective notions of who belongs to what ethnicity has sparked many debates. A south Indian staying in Delhi or Uttar Pradesh for a decade, who is familiar with the local culture, cuisine and way of life may  subjectively very well consider himself a north Indian after all this while, but may be rejected by the locals around as an outsider. In such a case, the question of– “Who gets to decide my ethnicity for me?” prevails. Is it the persons themselves, those around them, or larger entities such as the State? Things get more complicated in the large scale context of foreign country immigration. The settler versus native conflict becomes more pronounced, with ethnic categories serving as separatist, exclusive and a tool for mass denial of resources, rather than a criteria that unites the masses. The example of the Uddhav Sena is rather ironic, however fitting. It was a political party created due to a Mumbai-centric Nativist Movement against migrants ‘snatching’ away occupational opportunities that belonged to them, in a city that has actually been built by the blood, sweat and toil of migrants, to start with. India’s vast geographical expanse and diversity in ethnicities have proved to be a protective factor for the nation to some extent. While we may, at times, struggle to rein in inter or intra community conflicts in our own nation, it somehow, very fortunately, leaves us with little time, resources and most importantly, need to be at odds with communities outside our own nation, staving off international conflicts thereby, in the larger scheme of things. Interestingly, skin complexion also qualifies as an ethnic marker that manifests in our daily interactions with others. This can be evidently observed in Brazil, which divides its population into the five racial categories of Branco (white), Pardo (multiracial), Preto (Black), Amarelo/ Asiático (Yellow/ Asian) and Indígenia (indigenous). Skin complexion is just one of the many objective criteria we use to distinguish between ethnicities; however what qualifies as ‘objective’ or ‘subjective’ also differs from society to society, whether micro or macro, as well as down to the individual level. “I consider myself of xyz ethnicity, but does that make me a member of that ethnic community?” “I belong to the abc ethnic community, but if others don’t accept me as a part of it, does that disqualify my membership from it?” Unfortunately, questions like these never have a straight or pre-defined answer, and like most other sociological questions, they will have to be answered with an, “It depends”. It depends on the varying contexts from case to case, with an assortment of factors influencing certain situations in varying intensities. Nonetheless, it should not discourage us from looking for clearer answers, from recognising the prevalence and influence of ethnicity in our lives, and at large, in our world. The author, a multi-faceted student, is an avid commentator on various topical issues. Views are personal. Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.