Situation and Ethnic Identity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9955047 |
|---|---|
| Authors | M Similä (0000-0003-4799-0446, Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1988 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 453-460 |
| Publication date | 1988-10-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Migration (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-7985 • E-ISSN: 1468-2435 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1468-2435.1988.tb00664.x |
| PMID | 12281947 |
| OpenAlex | W2145309633 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 2 |
This paper illustrates situational variation as regards ethnic identification and develops some ideas about identity formation and the expression of ethnic identity in multiple ethnic contexts. The author discusses both social (ethnic) identity and subjective social identity (self-identifications). The author shows how expressions of ethnic origin and identification vary with changes in a number of hypothetical situational settings, explained in terms of a combination of the present and the past. The material consists of interview data from 110 Turks and 114 Yugoslavs aged 16-24, selected randomly, in Stockholm, Sweden. The 1st interview question asked of the Turks and Yugoslavs is how they would describe where they came from in several hypothetical situations. Answers vary more by place asked than by person asking. A tendency exists to relate oneself positively to the person asking, by stressing commonalities. The 2nd question was "To whom do you think you most strongly belong?" Answers show that these immigrants primarily relate themselves to their own ethnic groups and to Swedes, while other immigrant groups in Sweden are less important. The final question was "How would you feel if someone here in Sweden told you that you seem to be just like other Swedes?" The most usual answer is that it does not matter. Both Turks and Yugoslavs would appreciate the statements more from a Swede than a compatriot, and the Turks would become more angry than the Yugoslavs if a compatriot said it. Turks have preserved more ethnic and traditional lifestyles, lack close ties to the Swedes, and experience greater social distance to Swedes. Migrants often develop complex multiple identities, and situational variation, at least in part, can be understood as a competence for living with and making use of this complexity. The article concludes with a typology that illustrates how the interplay between the past and the present creates more or less complex patterns of identification, so that a person cannot express more than parts of his or her identifications in a given concrete situation
Ethnic group · Identification (biology · Identity (music · Immigration · Political science · Situational ethics · Social group · Social identity theory · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Law · Psychology · Social and Educational Sciences · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.11 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1990 - 2008 (19) |
| Highly cited | No |