Ethnographic group

An ethnographic group is a group that has cultural traits that make it stand out from the larger ethnic group it is a part of.[1] In other words, members of an ethnographic group will also consider themselves to be members of a larger ethnic group, both sharing a collective consciousness with it, and possessing their own distinct one.[1][2] Ethnographic groups are presumed to be significantly assimilated with the larger ethnic group they are part of, though they retain distinctive, differentiating characteristics related to cultural values such as speech, religion, costume, or other cultural aspects.[3][4]

The concept of an ethnographic group is rarely found in Western works, and has been attributed to late 20th-century ethnographic studies in the countries of the former Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc.[1][3] This term has been used for example in works of Bulgarian,[1] Georgian,[3] Hungarian[5] and Polish[4] ethnographers.

Paul R. Magocsi, an American historian specializing in Ukrainian studies, described the concept of an ethnographic group as closely related to that of the ethnic group.[6] Some scholars use the term ethnographic group as a synonym to ethnic group.[7][8] The concept of the ethnographic group as distinct from ethnic group has been rejected by some scholars;[9] and it has been argued that most recent studies do not distinguish between the concepts of ethnographic and ethnic groups.[10]

An example of an ethnographic group division would be dividing the Subcarpathian Rus Rusyns ethnic group into Lemkos, Boikian and Hutsul ethnographic groups.[6] Other groups that have been described by some scholars as ethnographic groups include Pomaks in Bulgaria,[1] Lipka Tatars in Poland,[2] Adjarians and Khevsurians in Georgia[3]and Feylis in Iraq and Iran.[11][12]

  1. ^ a b c d e Máiréad Nic Craith; Reinhard Johler; Professor Ullrich Kockel (28 November 2012). Everyday Culture in Europe: Approaches and Methodologies. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-1-4094-8780-7.
  2. ^ a b Wojciech Janicki, The distribution and significance of Tatar ethnic group in Poland
  3. ^ a b c d Florian Mühlfried (1 May 2014). Being a State and States of Being in Highland Georgia. Berghahn Books. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-78238-297-3.
  4. ^ a b Marek S. Szczepański (1 January 1997). Ethnic Minorities & Ethnic Majority: Sociological Studies of Ethnic Relations in Poland. Wydawn. Uniwersytetu Śląskiego. p. 10. ISBN 978-83-226-0742-8.
  5. ^ Balázs Borsos (2016). The Regional Structure of Hungarian Folk Culture. Waxmann Verlag GmbH. p. 34. ISBN 978-3-8309-8443-6.
  6. ^ a b Paul R. Magocsi (1978). Shaping of a National Identity: Subcarpathian Rus' 1848-1948. Harvard University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-674-80579-8.
  7. ^ SZCZEPAŃSKI, MAREK S. (1998). "Cultural Borderlands in Sociological Percpective (The Case of Upper Silesia)". Polish Sociological Review (121): 69–82. JSTOR 41274675.
  8. ^ Jacek Wódz (1999). Local power and modern community political life: sociological essays. Wydawn. Uniwersytetu Śląskiego. p. 88. ISBN 9788322608500.
  9. ^ Ethnologia Polona. 1999. p. 17.
  10. ^ Sukumar Periwal (1 January 1995). Notions of Nationalism. Central European University Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-85866-022-6.
  11. ^ Salah, Sinaa. "The Feyli Kurds in Iraq: A Geopolitical Crisis with Complex Identity Consequences". cfri-irak.com. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  12. ^ "2.15.9. Fayli Kurds". European Union Agency for Asylum. Retrieved 2024-07-11.