Ethnicity is based on a belief in a common ancestry, it is primarily a social phenomenon, not a biological one (Alba 1985, 1990; Barth1969; Weber[l92l] 1968,p.389).
Symbolic Ethnicity
r
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtacyJp/
Fact: Herbert Gans (1979) to refer to ethnicity that is individualistic in nature and without real social cost for the individual.
For instance, a black woman with Trinidadian ancestry will have distinct social/ lifesituations than a white woman who labels herself as Irish.
White Americans frequently assert their racial identification as European.
When deciding whether to classify as White American or of European Descent, White Americans have more flexibility.
Ethnic inherited identities through intergenerational marriages.
"White" or American, [Lieberson (1985) called these people "unhyphenated Whites"] and (2) the choice of which of their European ancestries to choose to include in their description of their own identities. (Optional Ethnicities: For Whites Only? by Mary C. Waters)
Research Question: Why do White Americans choose to identify with particular ethnic groups? Is it to establish ties with other ethnicities that include individuals of color?
Problem: People of color, including Black/African Americans, are unable to pick and choose which ethnic group they want to associate with. The choice is not the same for these communities.
Different Ethnic Choices are not available to BIPOC.
Conclusion: White Americans who choose to associate with their ethnic identity fail to acknowledge the fact that their experiences still differ from those of people of minority. They do not instantly become equivalent to other groups when they claim an ethnic identity, and they are unaware of what it is really like to be an individual of color.
Since generation White ethnics identify as European, their race does not generally affect their lives. Individuals are not required to acknowledge their ethnicity at employment, in school, or in their community unless they want to.
