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Difference between Race and Ethnicity

Difference between Race and Ethnicity

If you are also using race and ethnicity interchangeably, you are wrong because race and ethnicity have separate meanings which we will discuss in our given article.

Race is basically physical differences that culture and groups of society consider socially significant, whereas ethnicity is to share culture like languages, ancestry, beliefs and practices.

It is very important to know the detailed knowledge about the terms separately. So have a look.

What is Race?

Race is used to describe the physical or biologically engineered feature of a person. These features can include everything from skin color to eye color and facial structure to hair color. This term is physiological in nature and mean to distinct populations within the larger species.

Race was earlier a common scientific field of study but now, most scientists agree that genetic differences among races do not exist. Race does not have customs or globally learned behavior.

What is Ethnicity?

Ethnicity is used to describe the cultural personality of a person or can say it is the culture of people in a given geographical region. These personalities can include language, religion, nationality, ancestry, dress, and customs.

Ethnicity is not about the physical characteristics, but the social or cultural factors, which are shared by a certain group of society. This term is considered anthropological in nature because it is based on learned behaviors. Ethnicity is about the learned cultural behaviors celebrated throughout regions around the world.

Let us now study the differences between race and ethnicity.

Definition

The term race defines the concept of dividing people into populations or groups on the basis of various sets of physical characteristics whereas ethnicity is a group of humans whose identity with each other is on the basis of common nationality or shared cultural traditions.

Distinguishing Factors

Races are assumed to be distinguished by skin color, facial type, or any physical feature however Ethnic groups distinguish themselves differently from one time period to another or by cultural behaviors.

Conflicts

There are fewer race-based conflicts in the 21st century than in the past while most ethnic groups in fact get along peacefully within one another in most nations most of the time.