Culture and

Identities
Lesson III
Culture, Ethnicity,
and Race
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Culture
Culture is the shared characteristics of a group of
people, which encompasses, place of birth, religion,
language, cuisine, social behaviors, art, literature, and
music. Basically it is the way of life of a certain
collective of people
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Ethnicity
A group of people who identify as one another based on
characteristics that set them apart from other groups
are said to belong to the same ethnicity.

Ethnicity describes cultural groups whose bond is forged

through social interaction and shared ideas of culture,
including language, customs and institutions.
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Race
Race describes categories of physical appearance,
genetic biology plays a small or insignificant role in the
formation of ethnic categories.
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Race and ethnicity are often associated with culture that

they are sometimes used as basis on what culture will a
group of people develop into. But in reality, the
relationship between these concepts are not as clean
cut.
Cultural, Ethnic, and
Racial Identity
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Cultural Identity
Cultural identity refers to identification with, or sense of
belonging to, a particular group based on various cultural
categories, including nationality, ethnicity, race, gender,
and religion.

As individuals typically affiliate with more than one

cultural group, cultural identity is complex and
multifaceted. While formerly scholars assumed
identification with cultural groups to be obvious and
stable, today most view it as contextual and dependent
upon temporal and spatial changes.
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Ethnic Identity
Extent to which one identifies with a particular ethnic
group(s). Refers to one's sense of belonging to an ethnic
group and the part of one's thinking perceptions, feelings,
and behavior that is due to ethnic group membership.
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Racial Identity
Racial identity is a multidimensional construct that
includes the strength of one's identification with one's
racial group, a sense of attachment to other group
members, an evaluation of group membership nd may
include group-relevant attitudes and behaviors.

American Anthropological Association states that "the

'racial' worldview was invented to assign some groups to
perpetual low status, while others were permitted access
to privilege, power, and wealth.
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In conclusion, Race, Culture, and Ethnicity are all just

constructs created by human society.

As Global Citizens, it is up to us to identify and find

ourselves and not be restrained by the expections of
others based on the pre-conceived notion that are built
around these concepts.