Question:

Do white people have an ethnic identity?

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Do white people have an ethnic identity?

Politicians in liberal democratic states in Europe, the United States and Canada have often

prided themselves for passing legislation to eliminate racism. Many white American liberals in the 1990s, argues Patricia Williams, believe that such legislation has all but eliminated racism, and that only an ignorant and violent fringe continues to purport values of racial superiority.

Racism, however, she argues, is still alive and well, albeit in a different form. Instead

of asserting superiority and committing overtly nasty acts against people of colour, a form of

racism that was easy to define and against which it was easy to organise opposition, she contends that many white people today treat people with darker genetic-based complexions as

objects of curiosity, beings to engage for entertainment or to demonstrate open-mindedness and multicultural ethic, but not really equal people. This kind of racism, Williams argues, still has the effect of preserving social stratification, only it does so in a more sanitised and subtle manner.

Moreover, she contends, white people generally do not want to talk about racism. Discussions

suggesting that racial inequalities continue to rank people along a hierarchy do not fit

conveniently into conceptions that post-industrial societies have become multicultural. By refusing to engage in such discussions, Williams argues, white people deny the existence of real experiences which black people cannot avoid. The problem, she suggests, arises from an absence of a sense of white ethnicity. White people, she contends, see ethnicity as something that applies to other groups. Whites do define themselves as members of religious, language and cultural groups, but, she contends, they do not share experiences based on their race, and thus lack a sense of white issues. Perhaps this absence of ethnicity may reflect white guilt for past racism, or perhaps it may reflect an absence of shared experiences held by most white people on account of their race. If whites cannot see their own ethnicity, she suggests, then they cannot fully appreciate the ethnic issues faced by other groups. She does contend that a colourblind society, one in which race would make no difference in people’s experience of life, is possible, but she also contends that contemporary American and perhaps other post-industrial societies are a very long way away from colour-blindness.

Source

Aubhai-Brown, Yasmin. ‘Home truths in black and white’. The Independent (Section 2, 27

January 1997): 2.

Discussion questions

1. Do white Europeans have a sense of ethnic identity, or do you agree with Patricia Williams’s argument that whites have no sense of ethnicity?

2. Is a colour-blind society possible or desirable?

3. Do you agree that a new, subtle racism plagues Europe?

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11 ANSWERS


  1. yes to all of em

    whoever wrote this is a genius


  2. 1.europeans?white?do you mean non african?because lots of europeans are not white!!or do you mean westerners collectively??each race has it's own ethnic identity-france,germany,holland,all european and certainly not all white,however added together,multiculturism has no identity,we simply don't relate to each other,primarily becuase of geographic isolation

  3. i'm irish and have plenty of identity i know my history, my language my culture and who i am. it's very specific.

    to say all whites have no sense of identity is ignorant and small minded.

  4. 3. Do you agree that a new, subtle racism plagues Europe?

    1)No, whites might often look the same, but they do have distinct identities. Often they are based on their families national roots. For example, people who are from (or whose recent ancestors are from) countries in Eastern Europe often have a very different culture and identity from those from Spain or France.

    2) Neither possible nor desirable. This is pure denial, and dangerous denial at that. People need independent senses of identity as anchors to their family and cultural history. Just look at all of the problems that they are having in Britain now with black kids who are being told that they are identical to white kids, who feel that this is stripping them of their heritage.

    3) No, it's the same as it always was. It's just less acceptable to be rascist in public.

  5. Whites DO have a sense of ethnic identity. Black people want to make this into something racist somehow...

    I love learning the history of my Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English, and French ancestors. I attend Celtic celebrations, love the jewelry with Irish/Celtic designs. My mother has traveled to these countries, as well as doing constant geneology to track our ancestors.

    I am not going to even answer your other questions. Because I think they are pathetic. I am sick of the ranting, whining, and griping from blacks.

  6. First, the ethnicity of white people is primarily derived from their national origin rather than color of their skin.

    Secondly, yes, a color-blind society is possible but it takes an education process that starts from the time of birth and continues throughout adulthood.

    Lastly, I do agree that a form of subtle racism is present in Europe (and other countries throughout the world) with some countries being more pronounced than others.

    As I previously stated, this is due to a lack of proper education as to the indices of racism and how to avoid them.

    Until people deal with this issue head on there will always be a form of racism present within different ethnicity's living side-by-side.

  7. im hungry so im not going to answer these in full detail.  but, here it goes:

    1. i dont agree. of course white europeans have a sense of ethnic identity.  being that europe is comprised of many different countries all with heritages, customs and languages, its hard to avoid the differences among these countries.  scandinavian, british, mainland european....why would people label themselves as such if they didnt have an identity???

    2. i dont think colorblindness is possible nor is it desirable. everyone brings something different to the table and part of that is being physically aware that people are different!  for people who are xenophobic, being forced to see that they can and must work in groups with other people of mixed ethnicities to achieve common goals is priceless.

    3. i dont know if the racism williams describes is the one that plagues europe, but there is an obvious tension. whether that tension be from having to step out of the norm of which you were brought up in, or having to make space at work or in your neighborhood for non-natives, there is a tension.  maybe the world is just getting too small for us all to live comfortably in and we are misdirecting the cause of our frustration.  

    hope this discussion keeps going, i will check back!

  8. 1. yes

    2. Although it is desirable it is impossible, unless we all look identitical racism and prejudges will always exsist

    3. Yes, european neo n***s are a perfect example

  9. Yes.

  10. I think your question or her view is extremely narrow-minded. I'm White and I have an absolute ethnic identity. I'm very well aware of my Cajun culture and it's well celebrated here in Louisiana with the food, festivals, language, etc. I could go on and on. But I don't have to validate my culture to anyone. I think that theory is just a way to further shame or bash Whites. I won't fall into that trap or be made to feel inferior because I'm White. 2D

  11. Well im not an Anthropologist. So ill try to answer some of your discussion questions.

    Ethnicity-

    –noun, plural -ties. 1. ethnic traits, background, allegiance, or association.  

    2. an ethnic group: Representatives of several ethnicities were present.  

    [Origin: 1765–75, for earlier sense; ethnic + -ity]

    Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

    Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

    1. I'll disagree with Patricia. To the fact that each person is different but is born with an ethnicity that can be distinguished amongst others or not. An ethnicity can be determined by ones physical traits or by ones practice of religion. White Europeans are all different, Germans are completely different from the English, as the Italians are contrasted by the Spanish. Therefore, Patricias argument seems to just state that the caucasion can avoid accusations of ethnicity by solemnly the color of their skin.

    2. A colour-blind society can be possible, but only possible to those who are blind of course, then again being colorblind doesn't mean you see in black and white, there are several types of cases to being colorblind. Desirable? I doubt it.

    3. There are many racisms in Europe that have been taking place for decades and are just being noticed by the media. For example, the Turkish immigrated to Germany due to lack of Political Justice and government. Also, one that is not new but has started in Europe, The Religious Wars in Ireland. The same goes with the Holocaust, and Italy's dictator Mussolini.

    With that it is possible for new racisms to occur, as history repeats its self. So I shall agree.

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