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I'm wondering if the idea of an 'ethnic group' even makes sense in this post-modern world for a lot of people, especially since the world is so globalized. I'll take my own case:
My citizenship and nationality is Australian.
I was born in Singapore, but moved to Australia when I was a mere year old.
Ancestrally, my mother is Singapore and my father Malaysian. In those countries, their ethnicity could be considered 'Chinese', although my father also has 'Peranakan' (mixed Chinese-Malay, culturally if not genetically) descent and has been in Malaysia for many generations, I'm not sure how long. My mother's family on both side moved to Singapore from about 1900-1915 from Fujian province, China. I believe my father's ancestors were mostly from Fujian, possibly with some Malay ancestry. It's probably unlikely but some photos of my old ancestors actually look Japanese or Manchurian (my dad's mother came from a rich family, so there are photos dating back from as early as 1900).
Both my parents grew up mainly speaking English, in colonial Malaya, and later Malaysia and Singapore, although their parents spoke Hokkien, which is a Chinese dialect (but as different as a language).
Growing up we only spoke English at home. We were also Christian, ate as much western food as Asian food, and in all respects I am a Westerner exposed to the Western, mostly English body of literature, philosophy, science.etc. Not to forgot the non-Western, inc. Chinese contributions to society.
I don't shun by Eastern ancestry or 'roots', but I don't feel I can culturally claim any part of it, except maybe eating a bit more Asian food/rice.etc as a child than many Anglo-Australians. I don't know any other languages (a smattering of Japanese from school. I'm not Japanese at all though). I don't have a so-called collectivist 'eastern' way of thinking, nor are my values that 'Confucian.'
So my question is, would you even class me as an ethnicity? If so what would my primary 'ethnicity' be, or would it be a mix? I guess if you asked me, in terms of identity I'm Australian first, even though I feel Australia is more a sub-group of English ethnicity, maybe Singaporean to an extent, Malaysian to an extent, and Southern Chinese ancestrally for perhaps. Going back even further, my ancestors were probably a mix of invaders from the north and the local peoples - the 'Southern Barbarians' of that part of China at the time. Going back further, of course, they came from someplace else.
I guess I could say simply 'Asian' which is a broad-thing, or Asian Australian, Singaporean Australian, or even Chinese Australian (which I don't relate to). I don't really feel I'm truly a member of the so-called 'Han Chinese' ethnic group apart from the fact my ancestors came from a region that was under Chinese rule for about 1500-2000 years. My Singaporean identity is more incidental, although I love cuisine from that region, while in a more real sense I'm Australian I don't feel the Australian identity has much history.
I guess in the end I don't feel any of these labels is that important. I'm a human being, a mammal, and seek to foster a sense of unity with all peoples and creatures as much as possible. I think ethnic labels tend to divide more than unite, and I'm suspicious of nationalistic or other types of pride.
I guess I'm thinking about this because I recently returned from Taiwan, where questions of identity are very political. Many Taiwanese do not want to be called Chinese, they want to be known as Taiwanese, so why are 'Overseas Chinese' who live in Thailand for 500 years still considered Chinese when they're completely assimilated? Why are the Dai who arrived only 300 years before them not considered Chinese, even if they came from Yunnan province in China? I guess it's because they were not put under that umbrella group. The ROC recognises 4 ethnic groups while the PRC has 56. At one time the Hakka were not Han, so I think it's more a matter of politics anyway. If I can't speak any Chinese language or dialect am I really 'Chinese' in the cultural sense? I don't seek to be European but ethnically, not genetically, I'm more European than Asian.
Ethnically speaking I consider myself more English than anything since even though about half my ancestry is Irish/Celtic, the only European ancestor I knew in real life was my grandmother, who was born in Raynes Park, England, which was then Surrey but is now considered a part of London.
I don't really strongly identify with England or with my country of birth/residence, the US. I think of myself as mostly being a Pacific Northwesterner.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by belmont22
Ethnically speaking I consider myself more English than anything since even though about half my ancestry is Irish/Celtic, the only European ancestor I knew in real life was my grandmother, who was born in Raynes Park, England, which was then Surrey but is now considered a part of London.
I don't really strongly identify with England or with my country of birth/residence, the US. I think of myself as mostly being a Pacific Northwesterner.
Trimac, your ethnic group is not the same as your cultural nationality. What you are referring to is your cultural nationality. You are ethnically Asian, but you're culturally Australian. I'm ethnically Spanish, but I'm culturally American. You may be Singaporean, but you know nothing of life in Singapore since you can't identify with it, just like I don't know about life in Spain and can't identify with it
Trimac, your ethnic group is not the same as your cultural nationality. What you are referring to is your cultural nationality. You are ethnically Asian, but you're culturally Australian. I'm ethnically Spanish, but I'm culturally American. You may be Singaporean, but you know nothing of life in Singapore since you can't identify with it, just like I don't know about life in Spain and can't identify with it
I disagree personally. Ancestry is relative. I'm British-American, but if you went back far enough, I'm sure you could find Spanish, French, Norwegian and Dutch ancestors in my lineage.
I disagree personally. Ancestry is relative. I'm British-American, but if you went back far enough, I'm sure you could find Spanish, French, Norwegian and Dutch ancestors in my lineage.
And with mine you can most likely find Roman, Maghreb, Visigothic, Phoenician, and Middle Eastern in mine but no one ever goes back further than 300 years in their lineage, unless you're a noble or royal
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by theunbrainwashed
Trimac, your ethnic group is not the same as your cultural nationality. What you are referring to is your cultural nationality. You are ethnically Asian, but you're culturally Australian. I'm ethnically Spanish, but I'm culturally American. You may be Singaporean, but you know nothing of life in Singapore since you can't identify with it, just like I don't know about life in Spain and can't identify with it
I've visited many times so am pretty familiar with it, but I don't know what it's like to live there. I'm more comfortable with Australia, though. The convenience and food of Singapore is great but it's stressful and hot..
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,029,399 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theunbrainwashed
Trimac, your ethnic group is not the same as your cultural nationality. What you are referring to is your cultural nationality. You are ethnically Asian, but you're culturally Australian. I'm ethnically Spanish, but I'm culturally American. You may be Singaporean, but you know nothing of life in Singapore since you can't identify with it, just like I don't know about life in Spain and can't identify with it
Ethnicity seems to be more about culture, although before the modern age ancestry and culture went hand in hand. The only thing that distinguishes say the Han ethnic group from the 'She' or the 'Zhuang' is culture. Genetically they're 100% the same.
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