Ethnic Collectivities and Ethnic Categories

Student’s name
Instructor’s name
Sociology
Date
Ethnic Collectivities and Ethnic Categories
Ethnic similarities existent among diverse ethnic groups acts as a unifying factor for the groups. The ethnic groups may share ancestry, beliefs or kinship, qualifying their ethnic relationships in the society. Haitians and African American share similar ancestral links, though their migration into the USA occurred in different periods. The relations between the two ethnic groups bind the two into ethnic collectivities since the communities have a common ancestry. The USA and Canada have the largest number of African Americans and Haitians in the world. Sociologists intimate that different social lifestyles existent in various nations across the globe have created distinct collective identities. The identities are influenced by traits or experiences witnessed by the distinct social group. The diversity of cultural values and norms adopted by different groups enumerates how ethnic communities sharing similar ancestry adopt different beliefs based on their individual choices. The ethnic groups preserve their distinct cultures through oral traditions, resulting in ethnic collectivity. However, the different characteristics are interpreted differently by the different ethnic groups.
Scholars believe that internal factors influence and shape ethnic collectivity in the society. Individuals within a group are exposed to internally accepted norms that influence their lifestyles in the society.

Haitians were forced to migrate after the dictatorial regime of President Duvalier took office while African Americans were mostly brought into the USA during the slave trade. The violent characterizations of both movements internally affected the formation of ethnic collectivity. Moreover, the society has been modeled around diverse social contexts, though each ethnic group follows a distinct societal system. African Americans have been influenced by their race history emanating from the civil rights movement that fought for the rights of the Africans in the USA. The experiences aligned their social consciousness negating the use of “niggers” or “negroes” as discriminative, especially when uttered by a person from a different race. African Americans have used previous antagonistic and violent behavior against African Americans to form a distinct ethnic collectivity.
Social negotiation has influenced different ethnic communities to adopt or align to cultures similar to the group’s culture. Many ethnic groups have attempted to align to other cultures that are seen to be closely related. Haitians have tried to assimilate into the US culture, predominantly aligning to African American culture. Haitians have adopted African American speech patterns, food preferences, and cultural identity. Furthermore, recently released data indicates that more Haitians were living in African American neighborhoods than in other racially integrated neighborhoods (Fisher, Nancy, Daniela and Joshua 25). The group’s dalliance with African Americans emanates from their concerns on skin color and racial discrimination against blacks in the society. The processes have allowed the ethnic group to join blacks’ ethnic collectivity.
Mixed ethnic heritage has forced individuals to adopt certain cultures through negotiation and adoption of superior ethnic characteristics. Unions between Haitians and African Americans are now common in the USA. Children born from the unions are expected to identify with one culture based on their parent’s leanings. However, the child can later choose to sever relations with one group and identify with another. Sociologists intimate that children align with the dominant culture in the family and align to their attributes. The same has been the case, for children born in unions between whites and blacks, demonstrating that negotiation is a key pillar of the social facet of life (Kvasny and Kayla 265). Moreover, experts believe that the dominant cultures are easily identified by the social relations exhibited by the parents and cultures practiced by the parents. Consequently, ethnic categories and collectivity are influenced by social negotiations and internal factors.
Works Cited
Fisher, A. Celia, Nancy A. Rossnagel, Daniela S. Jopp and Joshua L. Brown. “Applied Developmental Science, Social Justice, and Socio-Political Well-Being: Applied Developmental Science: Vol 16, No 1.” Taylor & Francis Online. Journal on Applied Development Science, 1 Feb 2012. Web. 4 Dec 2016. <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10888691.2012.642786>Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Kvasny, Lynette, and Kayla Hales. “The African Diaspora, Black Identity and The Evolving
Discourse of the Digital Divide.” FERRO, E.; DWIVEDI, Y., et al (2008): 260-267. Print.