The Magician's Hat: A Critique of the Concept of Ethnicity

Abstract

Theories of ethnicity have come to rival class in the claims made for them. This paper presents a critique of ethnicity as a concept. It shows the links between the logical construction of the concept, its ideological appeal, and the social ramifications of applying this mode of analysis to actual social situations. Rather than attempting to cover the whole field of ethnic studies, the focus is on two major contributions to the subject: Glazer and Moynihan's and van den Berghe's. The paper argues that ethnic groups cannot have the conceptual status claimed for them; that a distinction between race and ethnicity based on definitional differences between physical and cultural identifiers of group membership obscures rather than illuminates the significance of race and racism; and that an alternative approach is required for the analysis of ideological mobilisations which draw upon diverse cultural inheritances and claims to descent.