Choosing ethnic identity

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Title:

Author:

Song, Miri, 1964-

ISBN:

9780745622774

9780745622767

Personal Author:

Song, Miri, 1964-

Publication Information:

Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA, USA : Polity Press, 2003.

Physical Description:

183 p. ; 23 cm.

Contents:

1. Ethnic Identities: Choices and Constraints -- 2. Comparing Minorities' Ethnic Options -- 3. Negotiating Individual and Group Identities -- 4. The Growth of Mixed Race People -- 5. The Diversification of Ethnic Groups -- 6. The Second Generation in a Global Context -- 7. Debates about Racial Hierarchy -- 8. The Future of Race and Ethnic Identity.

Abstract:

"Choosing Ethnic Identity explores the ways in which people are able to choose their ethnic identities in contemporary multiethnic societies. Notions such as adopting an identity, or self-designated terms such as African American and Black British, suggest the importance of agency and choice for individuals. However, the range of ethnic identities available to individuals and the groups to which they belong is not wholly under their control. They must be negotiated in relation to the wider society and to other ethnic groups. This book examines the ways in which ethnic minority groups and individuals are able to assert and negotiate identities of their choosing, and the constraints that limit such choices.

Drawing on studies from the USA and Britain, Miri Song concludes that while significant constraints surround the exercising of ethnic options, there are numerous ways in which individuals and groups contest and assert particular meanings and representations associated with their ethnic identities. This book will be essential reading for students and scholars studying ethnicity, race relations, sociology, and politics."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject Term:

Ethnicity.

Group identity.

Minorities -- Race identity.

Racially mixed people -- Ethnic identity.

Ethnic attitudes.

Race awareness.

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168025437621	305.8 S698C 2003	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Choosing Ethnic Identity explores the ways in which people are able to choose their ethnic identities in contemporary multiethnic societies such as the USA and Britain. Notions such as adopting an identity, or self-designated terms, such as Black British and Asian American, suggest the importance of agency and choice for individuals. However, the actual range of ethnic identities available to individuals and the groups to which they belong are not wholly under their control. These identities must be negotiated in relation to both the wider society and coethnics. The ability of minority individuals and groups to assert or recreate their own self-images and ethnic identities, against the backdrop of ethnic and racial labelling by the wider society, is important for their self-esteem and social status.

This book examines the ways in which ethnic minority groups and individuals are able to assert and negotiate ethnic identities of their choosing, and the constraints structuring such choices. By drawing on studies from both the USA and Britain, Miri Song concludes that while significant constraints surround the exercising of ethnic options, there are numerous ways in which ethnic minority individuals and groups contest and assert particular meanings and representations associated with their ethnic identities.