Ethnic Identity Project - Coursework Example

Lecturer: Corse: Ethnic Identity Project Introduction The construct of ethnic identity can be understood from social perspective as the sense of belonging to a particular cultural or ethnic group. These groups tends to be one in which an individual claims heritage or custom. Ethnic identity is defined as a social category where one is most likely to be identified in terms of heritage, religion, culture and language attributes. These attributes are the ones that determine eligibility for membership and these attributes are acquired genetically, culturally or through historical inheritance. Ethnicity identity is not only internally developed through the self-consciousness, cultural and racial differences of an individual, but also externally imposed by the dominant society onto ethnic group (Romanucci-Ross, Vos and Takeyuki 233); therefore, the construct of ethnic identity is an ongoing struggle and concession between the inner self and society, which is never entirely resolved as individuals continue to connect in relationships with different people, institutions and compete with the shifting nature of state power. Q. 1 Ethnicity identity is a continually evolving process; thus its components include ethnic awareness, self-identification, attitudes and ethnic behaviors. I remember when I was a child, I was taught about ethnic diversity by my parents and teachers. I grew up in a country where there are rich blend of cultural traditions from across the globe some of which can be traced by their historical backgrounds such as immigrants who traveled far distances into the state in order to seek refuge. My parents felt that the fact that the family lived in an increasingly cultural diverse society where there are diverse cultural groups, it was vital to help us to live, learn and work in communities that will become even more diverse. My parents could take me to Sunday school where I was taught about tolerance, which is not only just the part of our heritage but also because tolerance contributes to success in all aspects of life. Romanucci-Ross, Vos and Takeyuki (34) argue that the knowledge about attitudes towards cultural diversity is a powerful determinant of learning opportunities and better outcomes in an ethnically diverse society. There transactional perspective should be applied in educating children from diverse ethnicity groups because the relationship between different cultural groups is culturally embedded and dialectical. Transactional model is an effective approach for understanding the interplay of nature because this model attempts to explain the development of negative and positive outcomes of a child. My parents had always taught me to be culturally responsible as it is developmentally fitting, which means employing their cultural orientations, cultural experiences and ethnic identities; thus facilitating cultural responsibilities. There are values and beliefs associated with my ethnicity groups some of which include values attached to religion or spiritual beliefs, language and cultural values such as intermarriage between cultures and many others. These values and beliefs have impacted many people in the society especially the minority groups. In working with diverse people from varied cultural backgrounds, social workers often view culture or ethnicity as a barrier to achieving the intended outcomes (Romanucci-Ross, Vos and Takeyuki 109). Reversing this predicament by focusing on these barriers, which evolves from the ethnic of cultural perspective can offer better course for practice. Having cultural knowledge and developing greater cultural awareness or specific skills, as well as, intercultural communication is vital for solving ethnicity or cultural barriers. Racial ethnicity has been a recognized problem since the early 19th century; thus the minority populations have been impacted greatly because of ethnicity identity. Despite the introduction of Affirmative Actions, many of the minority groups have been segregated because of increased racial discrimination. Q. 2 Varied economic, social and political realities have impacted my ethnic groups in the past decades. As the society grows increasingly diverse, there has never been a better chance for people to learn to live respectfully together and take advantage of one another's knowledge or wisdom. However, sometimes uncertainty, fear and discomfort, which are contributed by social, political and economic issues prevents citizens from interacting with each other. The economic and political revolution process have tainted the facade of the society over the past years and this has intensely impacted many ethnic groups especially women. For the past decades, women have been discriminated in terms of gender, social economic status, sex, political opinions and many other gender differences; thus need for challenging unjust gender practices. The social aspects have also impacted my ethnicity groups because of cultural competence and differences. Economic, social and political realities have impacted my social relationships. For instance, the issue of differentiation, which is based on gender, forms the core gender ideology but biological differences are real. However, these differences have been extended to social milieu; thus they are taken for granted in establishing social position and hierarchy, which eventually creates stereotyped gender roles. Social organizations such as legal arrangements, family unit, economic and religious groups are saturated with values, which segregates women in the society. Therefore, there is a need to articulate gender perspective since it will change the way the society articulate economic, social and cultural rights. Q. 3 There are varied things that I feel proud of regarding my ethnic groups and among these include our heritage, language and religious beliefs and practices. According to Romanucci-Ross, Vos and Takeyuki 234), ethnocentrism is the major cause for varied differences and divisions among different ethnicities, races, cultural groups and religious groups. The term ethnocentrism refers to the beliefs of superiority for a particular ethnic group, but this can contribute to racial or cultural differences. The aforementioned things have influenced my ethnicity identity in varied ways. One of them is that my religious beliefs and practices have shaped my moral values in the society. For instance, I have learnt that discrimination and prejudice are not moral values; thus need to avoid them since they can trigger conflict among varied ethnic groups. My heritage and language have also influenced my identity because they have also shaped my inner self; thus creating self awareness about my identity. On the other hand, there some things that I sometimes feel shame about my ethnic groups include racism and prejudice or discrimination of the minority groups. Racism and discrimination against color, sex, and religion are among the common issues that I sometimes feel shame about my ethnic groups. Discrimination has become one of the common issues among varied ethnic groups because one group feels that they are superior to the other. I have traveled many parts of Europe and South West Asia, but I realized that my ethnic groups are more discriminative than other ethnic groups. These aspects have influenced my personality in that it has contributed to my overall development especially my work experience and geographic location. Q.4 The message I received from family, friends and society about other ethnic groups, both dominant and minority groups were about the issues of discrimination and internalized oppression among varied ethnic groups. Discrimination and internalized oppression can impact me as a social worker; thus contributing to poor performance of my work. Romanucci-Ross, Vos and Takeyuki (123) argue that social workers have a responsibility of challenging discrimination on the basis of attributes such as sex, gender, race, culture,, marital status, color, political, social economic status and many others. Social workers should also recognize diversity and respect the diversity of varied ethnicity groups by taking into considerations individual, friends, groups and family differences. Discrimination can impact the performance of social workers; thus there is a need to work in solidarity with people from different cultural backgrounds. It is the duty of social worker to challenge unjust practices because this can reduce barriers to effective work performance. Work Cited Romanucci-Ross, Lola, Vos G. A. De, and Takeyuki Tsuda. Ethnic Identity: Problems and Prospects for the Twenty-First Century. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2006. Print. Read More