Ethnicity Leads to Diversity - Essay Example

The problems when studied under scientific observation can help in countering the problem.
Ethnic groups are so diverse and widely distributed; this diversity leads to various ethnic conflicts and problems. Today, Ethnic conflict is recognized as one of the major social conflicts internationally. In order to address the problem properly and dig out its solution, there is a need for a clear understanding of theories and concepts that can solve the conflict.
This paper observes the contemporary conceptual and theoretical debates that are related to the ethnic clash. It shows some advantages and disadvantages of the disputes that have prevailed in recent times in the ethnic conflict analysis.

Social sciences scholars view the concept in different ways; some of them consider it an entity that is objective and has its own characteristic boundaries, while other social science scholars view it from a subjective aspect vulnerable to change. (Hussein)

Viewed from the objective perspective, ethnic group is a category of the population of humans that shares some attributes as common. These attributes can be in common in the form of language, culture, origin, etc. this common entity also proves as a distinguished characteristic based on one common entity.

Subjective perspective sees these groups as a flexible and changing phenomenon that can be doomed to alteration through the interaction of an ethnic group. The prevailing circumstances determine the information and symbol of an ethnic group which is socially constructed as a fluid identity.

Another issue that makes the understanding of the concept difficult is the issue of having different derivatives for the same meaning. The world race, ethnicity, and culture and their various derivatives are very familiar. People tend to confuse these terms with each other. In the absence of appropriate analytical vocabulary, it is not able to comprehend the processes. (Ballard)
Ethnic diversity, besides having positive consequences also possesses negative consequences. It has been proved that public goods are affected when the population is ethnically heterogeneous. A large literature shows the positive and negative consequences of ethnic diversity. (Kanbur, 147)
Recently scholars from social sciences disciplines have researched the relationship between socio-cultural diversity and social cohesion, some of the scholars concluded them as having a common meaning and some came up with the result of considering it as different. (Schaeffer)

Thus, to conclude it can be said that ethnicity has different diversions and conceptual meanings, this concept is not only different geographically and culturally but it also signifies the problem of having different linguistic errors. Ethnicity, race and culture are the words used for the same concept. Ethnicity is such a wide topic and subject, if researched then one would find different varieties of problems, solutions and discussions.

Thus, it can be said that there is no strict way to define the term, it is analyzed as an objective subject by some and as a subjective phenomenon by others. It is diverse, deep and dimensional. It can be defined and analyzed in different ways.