Intersticios (Dec 2015)
An approach to the concept of ethnicity: Notes on some debates and potentialities of the intersection of ethnicity and gender categories
Abstract
This paper's main objective is to explore some debates and meanings around the concept of ethnicity. Specifically, on the one hand we intend to understand the distinction between national identity and ethnic identity. In this regard, we are interested in investigating the role played by the states in the construction of collective identities. On the other hand, we are interested in analyzing the intersection of the ethnicity and gender dimensions in order to approach a deeper theoretical understanding of some processes. We are going to analyze these processes in the framework of our current doctoral research, such as the process of feminization of current migrations in the Latin American context. The methodology used to achieve these objectives was reading and analysis of specific literature on some of the debates around the concept of ethnicity as well as the analysis of a Latin American gender perspective.Some of the questions that have guided this reflection are: How to define the concept of ethnicity? What are the differences between national identities and ethnic identities? How are the states involved in the construction of collective identities? How to understand the ethnic issue in the context of migration? What analytical potential can the epistemological intersection between studies on ethnicity and gender offer to the understanding of some current sociocultural processes?
