Whatever the definition of “ethnicity”, it does not fit comfortably into any of the present or past political boundaries of modern countries. Here is some food for thought. James Tanner, “DNA, Genealogy, and Political Entities“, Genealogy’s Star (Sept. 19, 2019). Retrieved Oct. 16, 2019. James Tanner, “What is Ethnicity and Why Do We Care?“, Genealogy’s…
Category: Ethnicity
Race vs Ethnicity
Masaman asks, “What’s the difference between the terms race, ethnicity, culture, ancestry, heritage, nationality and other terms that seem like they all should more or less be discussing the same thing?” I’ve written about this before, including: Ethnicity, Nationality, Race, Identity, Culture & Heritage (Feb. 9, 2019). Changing Ethnicity (Feb. 20, 2019). I come back…
Crackers
I think probably the first time I heard the term Cracker was in Gone With the Wind. Maybe it’s a Southern word. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it used by a Westerner, at least not un-self-consciously. Many people I’ve asked have no idea what it means even though most have heard it. I read…
Grandma’s Ethnicity
When I was in, oh say 3rd grade we were supposed to go home and ask our parents where our families came from. That was probably the first time in my life I ever heard about this ethnicity thing I’m always writing about. It might also be the first time I had any sense of…
Changing Ethnicity
Both 23andme and Ancestry have recently made adjustments to their ethnicity calculations. Before I go on I have to say it makes me nuts to have everyone babbling about “ethnicity” when they really mean “ancestry.” I’m an ethnic American. More specifically an ethnic Mormon. I can be chill about it as long as I get a…