We are a People: Narrative and Multiplicity in Constructing Ethnic Identity

Description

As the twentieth century closes, ethnicity stands out as a powerful force for binding people together in a sense of shared origins and worldview. But this emphasis on a people's uniqueness can also develop into a distorted rationale for insularity, inter-ethnic animosity, or, as we have seen in this century, armed conflict. Ethnic identity clearly holds very real consequences for individuals and peoples, yet there is not much agreement on what exactly it is or how it is formed. The growing recognition that ethnicity is not fixed and inherent, but elastic and constructed, fuels the essays in this collection. Regarding identity as a dynamic, on-going, formative and transformative process,We Are a Peopleconsiders narrative—the creation and maintenance of a common story—as the keystone in building a sense of peoplehood. Myths of origin, triumph over adversity, migration, and so forth, chart a group's history, while continual additions to the larger narrative stress moving into the future as a people. Still, there is more to our stories as individuals and groups. Most of us are aware that we take on different roles and project different aspects of ourselves depending on the situation. Some individuals who have inherited multiple group affiliations from their families view themselves not as this or that but all at once. So too with ethnic groups. The so-called hyphenated Americans are not the only people in the world to recognize or embrace their plurality. This relatively recent acknowledgment of multiplicity has potentially wide implications, destabilizing the limited (and limiting) categories inscribed in, for example, public policy and discourse on race relations.We Are a Peopleis a path-breaking volume, boldly illustrating how ethnic identity works in the real world. Author note:Paul Spickardis Professor and Chair of Asian American Studies at UC Santa Barbara and is author ofMixed Blood.W. Jeffrey Burroughsis Professor of Psychology at Brigham Young University, Hawaii.

Get the book

Amazon.com

Search the book

eBay.com

Search the book

Similar books

• 

  We the People: An Introduction to American Politics

  By Benjamin Ginsberg, Theodore J. Lowi, Margaret Weir

  The Sixth Edition has been carefully updated to reflect most recent developments, including the ongoing conflict in Iraq and the 2006 midterm elections.

• 

  We the People: The Story of Our Constitution

  By Lynne Cheney

  Now in paperback for the first time, this richly illustrated tale of a crucial point in our nation’s history will enthrall readers young and old.

• 

  We the People: Israel and the Catholicity of Jesus

  By Tommy Givens

  Exposits John Howard Yoder's account of peoplehood and develops an appreciative revision of it that considers carefully and exegetically the politics of Jesus in relation to the people of Israel.

• 

  We the People: The Modern-Day Figures Who Have Reshaped and Affirmed the Founding Fathers' Vision of America

  By Juan Williams

  Among the modern-day pioneers Williams writes about in this compelling new book are the passionate conservative President Reagan; the determined fighters for equal rights, Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King, Jr.; the profound imprint ...

• 

  We the People: The Constitution of the United States

  By Peter Spier

  This fact-filled volume includes: ★ The complete text of the Constitution ★ An illustrated preamble to the Constitution, illuminating its signifcance from its birth through to modern times ★ The fascinating history of the struggle to ...

• 

  We God's People: Christianity, Islam and Hinduism in the World of Nations

  By Jocelyne Cesari

  ... identities in the early twentieth century,” unpublished honors thesis, Wellesley College (2012), https://repository.wellesley.edu/object/ir363. Hudson, C., The Southeastern Indians (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1976).

• 

  We the People and the President: An Infographic Look at the American Presidency

  By PJ Creek, Jamie Creek

  Teachers have examined many facets of the US presidency and turned facts into graphics to communicate interesting statistics.

• 

  We the Fallen People: The Founders and the Future of American Democracy

  By Robert Tracy McKenzie

  Arguing that we must take an unflinching look at the nature of democracy—and therefore, ourselves—historian Robert Tracy McKenzie explores the ideas of human nature in the history of American democratic thought, from the nation's ...

• 

  We the People

  By Leo Huberman

  We the People

• 

  We the People: Consenting to a Deeper Democracy : a Guide to Sociocratic Principles and Methods

  By John A. Buck, Sharon Villines

  "We the People" describes a new method of governing that creates more inclusive and efficient organizations.