Ethnicity [1]

An ethnic group is a human population whose members identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed common genealogy or ancestry. Recognition by others as a separate ethnic group, and a specific name for the group, also help define it. Ethnic groups are also usually united by certain common cultural, behavioural, linguistic and ritualistic or religious traits. In this sense, an ethnic group is also a cultural community. Processes that result in the emergence of such a community are summarised as ethnogenesis.

In terms of demographic data collection, ethnicity is defined differently by different government entities. Two examples of government definitions of ethnicity are presented below.

In the United States statistical system, ethnicity is only defined in terms of "Hispanic," meaning the various Latin American ethnic groups plus the Spanish, and "non-Hispanic" (everyone else). Race is defined separately. Data on ancestry, a person’s origin or descent, “roots,” or heritage, or the place of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States, are collected. In the United States, it is illegal to discriminate against a person based on their ethnicity, race, or ancestry.

In contrast, the People's Republic of China has officially split the population into 56 ethnic groups, of which the most numerous are the Han Chinese. Many of the ethnic minorities maintain their own individual culture and language, although many are also becoming more like the Han. The Han Chinese are the only ethnic group bound by the one-child policy and many villages falsified a change in their ethnic group, for example from Han to Manchu, to avoid the policy.

There is a degree of autonomy granted to areas with a high minority population. Inner Mongolia is an example of such. Sometimes ethnic minorities are allowed to use their own language in official documents, but not always. For example, a Tibetan can request an official document to be in either the Chinese or Tibetan language. But a Han Chinese can only request Chinese. Some ethnic groups do not have this option, such as the Hui, who can only request Chinese.

There is no equal opportunity law in China, and although the ethnic groups are said to be equal, it is commonplace to specify which ethnic group is preferred, or even required, when, for example, advertising employment. Most official government bodies are required to employ at least one member of an ethnic minority. Sometimes people are given the choice of which ethnic group they wish to belong to, but "mixed-race" is not an option.

As can be seen from the examples above, collecting data on ethnicity is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, information on ethnicity can be used to guard against discrimination against ethnic minorities and increase the visibility of ethnic minorities within the government. On the other hand, data on ethnicity can be used to perpetuate human rights abuses against ethnic minorities. The decision to collect ethnicity data in order to inform a particular public policy must be made only after serious consideration of the ethical implications of the data-collection project.

1. This definition is essentially based on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_group (accessed 27 December 2006) [disclaimer].