Narratives of Ethnic Identity, Migration and Politics A Multidisciplinary Perspective

Ethnicity, as a conceptual category developed by representatives of various scientififi c disciplines, refers to extensive and complex sets of social and psychological phenomena that take place both in the public and private spheres. On the one hand, it is a very useful analytical instrument, yet, on the other hand, it is a set of features of individuals and communities that can be practically distinguished and that create individual and collective identity, on the basis of such attributes as e.g. language, origin, race, culture or multigenerational traditions. The foundations of ethnicity are very often rooted in deep primordial, conscious elements that constitute a bond based on a real or symbolic relationship, in which individuals that create a community express their belief and approval. A territorial, temporary, historical, ideological or even – when observing current times – economical component very often appears among these elements. The classical presentation of ethnicity is no longer suffiffi cient to describe phenomena that we observe today; it requires supplementation – a subsequent extension of the limits of this concept that is originally associated with a private, almost intimate sphere of consciousness that gives meaning to the life of an individual and a sense of belonging to a community.
from the Preface