Distinguishing Between Markers of Identity: Race vs. Ethnicity vs. Nationality
- amelwani02
- Nov 28, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 12
Although race, ethnicity, and nationality are significant constituents of each individual’s identity, you’d be surprised by the amount of people who don’t actually know and understand the difference between the terms. Through the information, resources, and current events that this blog is riddled with, it’s easy to see that our present world has much work to do when it comes to equity and inclusion. However, we can’t begin that progress without acquiring the tools necessary to have discussions about identity and background. Keep reading to uncover both the distinctions and connections between race, ethnicity, and nationality and, in turn, gain an invaluable resource!
What is race?
Race can be defined as the physical characteristics that make someone part of a specific group of people. These characteristics can include, but are not limited to, skin color, hair color and texture, facial features, and eye color.
Around the start of World War I, the ideology of eugenics became widespread in the US as a means of justifying racial hierarchies. Eugenics was the belief that different racial groups have distinct mental and behavioral characteristics that make certain races inferior to others. However, since then, race has scientifically been classified as a social construct. Race is a human-invented system of identification that was established as a way to define physical differences between people, although it has historically been used for oppression. Nonetheless, this discovery completely undermines the early twentieth century theory of eugenics. Race is nothing other than a series of physical classifications.
The most common racial categories that you may see while filling out an official form (i.e. a medical form or a school application) are as follows:
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White
What is ethnicity?
Ethnicity, on the other hand, consists of the cultural characteristics that associate someone with a specific group of people. Ethnic characteristics can include one’s language(s), accent, customs, cultural practices, and religion. Some examples of ethnicities include Middle Eastern, Jewish, and Hispanic or Latino.
When distinguishing between race and ethnicity, there are a few important factors to keep in mind. Firstly, ethnicity isn’t a component of one’s identity that shows up on the surface (like race). An example from stilt.com offers a clear distinction: if you were to stand a Black person and an Asian person next to each other, you’d be able to tell which is which. However, if you were to stand an American-born Chinese person next to a Chinese person born and raised in China, you would not be able to tell which is which. Race and ethnicity can be associated with each other, but they don’t have to be. Each person has both a race and an ethnicity; there are actually hundreds, possibly thousands, of combinations of race and ethnicity in the world.
What is nationality?
In contrast to race and ethnicity, nationality is a fairly simple concept. Nationality is one’s legal citizenship of a nation state. In the United States, one can attain citizenship either by being born in the country (birthright citizenship) or by being granted legal citizenship through a series of tests (naturalized citizenship). In many countries, it’s very tough to attain citizenship if you weren’t born in the nation.
In summary, race is mostly seen through one’s outward appearance, ethnicity is mostly seen through one’s culture and practices, and nationality is defined by legal status. You can now use this knowledge to partake in accurate and fruitful discussions around identity, and possibly to learn more about yourself and the people around you!
Further Resources
This article gives a brief overview on the distinctions between race, ethnicity, and nationality, but click the links below to dive deeper!
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