Ethnic diversity in the population census:
A global analysis
Tahu Kukutai
Victor Thompson
Rider University
University of Waikato
11 April 2012
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Outline
• Theories of ethnic counting
• Background on Ethnicity Counts? project
• Data analysis
if countries count by ethnicity
how ethnicity operationalised
change over time
Concluding thoughts
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Theories of ethnic counting
• Ethnic counting a political exercise
• Imposed from top down
• Different policy uses (e.g., monitor
discrimination)
• Highlights the local and specific
• Champions case study approach
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Ethnicity Counts? project
Purpose:
• Describe key patterns of ethnic enumeration
over time and place
• Identify conditions associated with different
strategies
• Comparative theory of ethnic counting
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Data collected to date
1990 round
2000 round
Total # countries
2010 round
238
# countries with
census
197
195
169
# coded
131
169
108
% coded
66.5
86.7
63.9
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Ethnic identity vs Civic identity
•
•
•
•
•
ethnicity
ethnic nationality
race & colour
ancestry/descent/origin
indigenous group &
tribe
• cultural group
• language & mother
tongue
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•
•
•
•
•
citizenship
civic nationality
migration status
place of birth
parental place of birth
Ethnic nationality: Estonia
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Ethnic nationality: Nauru
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Civic nationality: Switzerland
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Ethnic identity
Per cent
1990
2000
2010
73.3
78.7
86.1
Language
36.6
42.0
47.2
Ethnicity
22.9
34.3
37.0
Mother tongue
19.9
23.7
25.9
Ethnic nationality
6.9
20.1
29.6
Race
9.2
9.5
11.1
Ethnic counting
Top 5 terms
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Ethnic counting by region
1990
Region
2000
2010
Per cent
Africa
68.6
70.1
76.0
Asia
73.1
77.1
79.2
Europe
58.3
72.9
85.7
Oceania
92.9
90.0
89.5
N. America
86.9
87.1
94.1
S. America
66.7
88.9
100.0
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Regional variation in terminology
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Race = Americas
Ethnic nationality = Europe
Ethnic origins = Oceania & N America
Ethnicity = spread
Mother tongue = Europea
Indigenous status = S America
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Civic identity
Per cent
1990
2000
2010
94.7
95.9
94.4
Place of birth
86.3
89.9
88.9
Citizenship
22.9
39.6
39.8
Nationality (civic)
44.9
38.0
36.6
Parental birth place
3.8
4.7
14.8
Civic counting
Top 4 terms
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Ethnic and civic identity
Per cent
1990
2000
2010
Ethnic only
2.3
3.0
5.6
Civic only
23.7
20.1
13.9
Ethnic & Civic
71.0
75.7
80.6
None
3.1
1.2
0.0
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Other dimensions of ethnic diversity
State recognition of:
•
•
•
•
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Hybridity
Subjectivity
“Ethnification” of national identity
Multiple dimensions
15
Hybridity: Tokelau
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Subjectivity: St Lucia
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Multiple dimensions: New Zealand
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Ethnification of national identity: Canada
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Relevance for immigration + diversity
• Possibilities beyond indirect markers (e.g.,
country of birth)
• Look beyond the 1st generation
• Harmonization across countries challenging
• Weakening of nation-based notions of identity
and ascendance of ethnic/cultural identities
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