European Policy and Practices towards Ethnic Minorities
Student: Edona Begu
AQCI: CORNELL, Stephen; HARTMANN, Douglas (1998). Ethnicity and Race. Making Identities in a
Changing World. Pine Forge Press/A Sage Publication Company, text on “The Definition of Race”, pp
21-43, 68-69
1. Central Quotation
“Ethnicity, like race, often is linked to power. (…) the origins of both ethnic and racial identities
frequently are to be found in conflicts of various kinds, in struggle over scarce resources such as jobs
or status or power. (Cornell, Hartmann, 30)
2. Argument
In their article “The definition of Race,” Cornell and Hartmann argue that the terms ‘ethnicity’ and ‘race’
are both socially constructed. Thus, despite the fact that the race and the ethnicity do not hold any
biological or natural significance, they become socially significant once people are put in categories,
based on a set of common characteristics, and than use these categories to create social relations and
organize actions. The article pointes out many similarities and differences between the two definitions,
and draws attention to historical examples to illustrate how these categories were created and
transformed during the history. Above all, I believe, is essential that the authors achieve to identify and
explain the root of race and ethnicity - that is the struggle for power or status of one group over the
other; this provides explanation to the inferiority characteristics that are used to define a race and the
superiority characteristics that are used to define an ethnicity. Hence, different groups in order to gain
power and establish dominance, have used these categorizations to “legitimize” their action i.e. the
exploitation of the colonial labor.
3. Question
I agree that the authors have identified and drawn attention to important aspects on defining race and
ethnicity. As mentioned in the article, the definitions of the two notions have changed during the history,
they have been altered and sometimes used interchangeable. Moreover, there has been no clear-cut
border on what is considered race and ethnicity and as it can be noticed in the article the authors firstly
claim that ethnicity is self-constructed and latter on the they write “Like race, ethnicity may be an
assigned identity. That is, it may have its origins in the claims that others make about us and we make
about them” (Cornell, Hartmann, 29). Thus, I believe that the complexity of defining precisely the race
and ethnicity made it hard for the authors to answer satisfactorily the question “what is the difference
between the race and ethnicity
4. Experiential Connection
I have born in an Albanian family in Macedonia and I have lived there for 10 years, until the 2001 armed
conflict between the Macedonians and Albanians. Belonging to the major ethnic minority in Macedonia,
Albanians, which did not have equal rights and treatment as the dominant, Macedonian, ethnic group,
such as: the right of higher education in Albanian language or the underrepresentation of Albanians in the
police or public administration (A THREAT TO "STABILITY" Human Rights Violations in Macedonia, par.
4-5); and experiencing an interethnic conflict, I can confirm the authors’ claims about the linkage of
ethnicity with power and status because it was the struggle of obtaining and/or sharing the power that
lead the two ethnic groups to an armed conflict.
5. Textual Connection
Similarly to this article, Eriksen’s article “Ethnicity, Race, Class and Nation” defines the terms race and
ethnicity. Both articles, make the same claim when it comes to distinctions between ethnicity and race;
they stipulate that race is the categorization that outsiders assign to a group to distinguish “them”,
while ethnicity is mostly constructed from inside the group with the aim to distinguish “us” form the
others. Although, Eriksen in his article tackles the similarities that race and ethnicity have, he does it in
border terms and rather vaguely. As a result, he fails to state the genesis of these categorization - the
struggle for power.
6. Implications
As aforementioned, the authors identify the genesis of race and ethnicity that is the struggle for power
and status which is achieved by assigning inferior characteristics to the “others”. I believe, that this is the
reason and might be the solution to many conflicts, such as the inter-ethnic conflicts in Balkans. An
education system that: 1) does not segregate students based on race and ethnicity and 2) avoids the
superiority and inferiority markers, will diminish the “need” of the groups to dominate each-other but
rather collaborate together.
1
European Policy and Practices towards Ethnic Minorities
Sample Self assessment form
Department of Public and Social Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University
AQCI ASSESSMENT FORM
Student’s
name:
Edona Begu
Name of
assessor:
Date:
Essay title:
Excel
lent
1) Is the chosen quotation central to the
author’s argument?
Go
od
Aver
age
Po
or
Not
accept
able
Comments
+
+
2) Has the main argument been fully
understood (including its ‘for’ and
‘against’ sides, if applicable)?
+
3a) Is the question raised
important/relevant/interesting?
3b) Has this question not been fully
answered in the text?
+
+
4) Is the experiential connection
relevant/interesting?
+
5a) Is the textual connection
relevant/interesting?
5b) Has it been cited properly?
5c) Has it been adequately explained
how the present text's argument
contrasts with, contradicts, confirms,
clarifies, or elaborates the other text's
argument or point?
+
+
+
6) Have the implications been well
understood, can they have a practical
impact for policy making?
+
7) Expression/Presentation
a) Are the style, grammar and general
use of English adequate?
b) Is the AQCI professionally presented?
+
+
Essay grade:
Further comments:
2
European Policy and Practices towards Ethnic Minorities
References
ERIKSEN (Thomas H.), (1996) “Ethnicity, Race, Class and Nation”, in HUTCHINSON (John) and SMITH
(Anthony), eds., Ethnicity, O.U.P., Oxford, p. 28 – 31
Human Rights Watch. A THREAT TO "STABILITY" Human Rights Violations in Macedonia. Printed in the
United States of America. Accessed 13 October 2015]. Available from:
http://www.hrw.org/reports/1996/Macedoni.htm
3