Comparison Between Ethnically Correct Dolls And Process of Ethnicity in England - Essay Example

Comparison between Ethnically correct dolls and Process of Ethni in England Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry by Elizabeth Chin and Process of ethnicity in England by Sandra Wallman are articles that are concerned with racism and ethnicity. The two articles have both similarities and differences but can be studied jointly to complement each other in terms their subjects. Combined, they provide an improved understanding on issues of racism and ethnicity. Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry is the main article in this report. In it, Elizabeth Chin examines issues of racism from a children’s perspective. She explores the effects of ethnically altering dolls on girls and ways in which race and bodily appearance are involved in this issue. She shows that girls prefer to play with dolls that they identify with, although they do not mind playing with those that do not (Chin 305). The Boundaries of Race: Processes of Ethnicity in England are the comparison article in this essay. In it, Sandra Wallman explores issues of social differentiation in urban England. She tries to expound on racism and ethnicity in relation to the English culture. The author emphasizes the fact that there exist many definitions of race and that a good anthropologist would be keen to identify their distinctions (Wallman 200). Both articles are similar in various ways. A minor similarity can be observed in the structure of the headings. Both of them are composed of a main and a minor heading, which are separated by semicolons. The main headings both radiate the main topic covered in the articles, which is racism. The rest of the headings then illustrate the concerns of the articles. Second, they both agree that issues of racism and ethnicity are major forces to the isolation of societies. In Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry, the author interviews two children subjects, Asia and Natalia concerning their takes on the outward appearance of dolls. The two are African American, and from the very start, Elizabeth Chin recognizes that she is in a different racial territory from the girls’ language and attitude towards other societies. Natalie, for example, demonstrates a bitter sensitivity to the gap between her society and the rest by sarcastically offering to switch the slang word ‘dope’ with the inoffensive ‘nice’. From this example, it is clear to see that, even at such early ages, the children recognize the differences in societies, attributed to ethnicity and racism (Chin 305). Sandra Wallman acknowledges the fact that racism and ethnicity separate societies as she clearly explains that there racial boundaries do exist (Wallman 201). She explains that modern England is composed of numerous societies of similar social relations which she then classifies as ethnic or social. In another case, the author explains that race and ethnicity are principles of classifying societies. This inference has been used from prehistoric times, and the anthropological aspect of racism has been used to categorize people in that, just like animals, they are distinguished by their outward appearance (Wallman 202). Wallman further explains that even in the past, a people’s outward appearance was undoubtedly used to classify people in terms of races. The two authors also agree in the meaning of racism and ethnicity. They acknowledge that racism and ethnicity are the differences in physical outlook and cultural factors between different groupings of people. In Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry, Elizabeth Chin explores the physical appearance of dolls and its effects on the girls to illustrate this definition. For example, as from 1991, Barbie and Mattel, both major manufacturers of dolls globally, had to start making dolls that physically represented societies from all corners in the world for them to appear ethnically correct (Chin 305). The girls in the interview also express their wish to have dolls that they can identify with. They wanted this done by having dolls with physical appearances, which they observed in their culture, or rather, race. Asia complained that she had never seen a fat Barbie, or a pregnant one for that matter. Asia also implied that the Barbie dolls made were stereotypes since they were mainly white in skin color. These observations by the girls show that they identify with particular physical cultural outlooks in their race and would like to see them emulated in their dolls. Concerning the definition of racism and ethnicity, the article, The Boundaries of Race: Processes of Ethnicity in England explains that relations in race or ethnic relations only occur when two or more sets of people encounter each other and are able to distinguish each other. These distinctions emanating from two sets of people are physical and cultural oriented, which enable one to clearly identify two or more distinct races and ethnic backgrounds (Wallman 202). She also explains that ‘race’ exists where one group of people sets itself apart from the rest due to its cultural significance or the uniqueness in the details of its members’ collective physical outlook (Wallman 204). The two articles also have some differences: the first concerns the methodology in which information was obtained to write essays. In Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry, the author uses interviewing as the main mode of obtaining information, whereas referencing of other material is used for the same purpose in The Boundaries of Race: Processes of Ethnicity in England. Elizabeth Chin personally visited her subjects at their home and obtained most of the information used to write the article firsthand. She interviewed the African American girls, Asia and Natalia while she could still observe their physical reactions and the dolls they possessed on a firsthand basis (Chin 305). Other people interviewed include Shani doll designers and other children like Cherelle and Clarice. The rest of the sources, however include referencing from other sources of information. For example, the information on Barbie doll company’s switch to more ethnically correct dolls was obtained from the Ebony magazine, from an article entitled, New Boom in Ethnic Toys: Experts say the trend is more than skin deep(Chin 319). Wallman, on the other hand, mainly uses references to obtain her information to write the article. She involves a wide array of works, from books from her fellow authors to parliament proceedings, newspaper articles and even poems from renowned historical figures like Winston Churchill and Rudyard Kipling (Wallman 217). The second difference entails the subjects used in the articles to examine and elaborate the topics of the articles. Chin uses children’s dolls to serve this purpose while Wallman uses whole societies, especially that of modern England. In her article, Chin examines how the physical outlook of dolls affects children’s racial identities and their reactions to such alterations. She examines this aspect of racism and ethnicity firsthand by visiting the children and the toymakers at their homes and workplaces respectively. She then records the interviews and uses this information to show that dolls do play an important part in the sensitive topic of racism. She also shows that people do identify with their races from as early as childhood, in the way the children in the article prefer dolls that relate to their societies. Wallman uses people groupings to expound on the meanings of race and ethnicity. She uses England as a society to show the layman notions in which the words ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’ are used. She explains that in England, the term race is referred fir classification of people, in accordance with their various categories. This categorization, which has some deep historical roots, involves grouping people in accordance to their physical characteristics and their cultural behavior (Wallman 201). The people of North America are also used in the article to illustrate the fact that racial and ethnic boundaries vary with changes in context and situation. She explains that in that region, ethics are defined as those who are recent immigrants from other areas, other than England (Wallman 203). Another example of societies used in the article is the West Indians and the Asians. The author uses these two groupings to illustrate the difference between race and ethnicity. West Indians are referred to as a racial group, whereas the Asians are commonly referred to as ethnic. She further explains that the difference between West and East Indians comes in their skin colors. Thus, race is differentiated through skin color and not lineage as it was once thought. Ethnicity however, entails more of geographical background of people or a person. About the comparison article The Boundaries of Race: Processes of Ethnicity in England article complement the main one, Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry. This is the main reason as to why it serves as a good comparison title. The central article shows the effects of racism in the society while the latter article backs this up by enlightening readers on the meaning of the same. Needless to say, the comparison essay needed to involve the topic on racism; as the central essay in order to be selected. Another qualifying feature for this comparison article is the fact that it was written around the same period as the main article. This serves to avoid conflict of ideas and facts due to information being outdated or reviewed. In the search for a suitable comparison article, essays related to anthropology were all considered. Then, the list was narrowed down to those which touch on the issue of racism, in order to match with the main article. The Boundaries of Race: Processes of Ethnicity in England turned out to be the best comparison essay as it best matched the above stated criteria. Also, the article is easy to understand, and it is written in the same linguistic pattern as the Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry article. Works cited Chin, Elizabeth. Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry. Los Angeles: Occidental College, 1999. Wallman, Sandra. Boundaries of Race: Processes of Ethnicity in England. England: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 1999. Read More