Nationality was defined at the beginning of this chapter as identity with a group of people who share legal attachment and personal allegiance to a particular country. In principle, the cultural values shared with others of the same nationality derive from voting, obtaining a passport, and performing civic duties, whereas those shared with others of the same ethnicity derive from religion, language, and material culture. However, this distinction is not always clear.

Key Issue 3: Why Might Ethnicities Face Conflicts?

Nationality is defined as an identity with a group of people who share legal attachment and personal allegiance to a particular country.

Ethnicities & Nationalities Sorting out ethnicity and nationality can be a challenging for many individuals.

Ethnicity & Nationality in North America Nationality identifies citizens of the United States, including those born in the country and those who immigrated and became naturalized citizens. Ethnicity identifies groups with distinct ancestry and culture, such as African Americans, Mexican Americans, or Polish Americans. These distinctions are not as clear and are more controversial in Canada. Québecois are easily distinguishable from other Canadians vis-à-vis cultural traditions, especially language. However, do the Québecois constitute a distinct ethnicity within the Canadian nationality or a second French-speaking nationality separate altogether from English-speaking Canadians?

Ethnicity & Nationality in the British Isles Distinctions between ethnicity and nationality become challenging in many places. The British Isles contain 133 inhabited islands within two countries—the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (Eire). The United Kingdom contains four principal parts: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The nationality of citizens of the United Kingdom is disputed. Are all classified as the British nationality or as English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish? A strong element of ethnic identity in the United Kingdom comes from sports. Even though they are not separate countries, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland field their own national soccer and rugby teams. They even compete separately in international tournaments, such as the World Cup.

Nationalism Nationalism is loyalty and devotion to a particular nationality. States foster nationalism by promoting symbols of the country, such as flags and songs. Nationalism is an example of centripetal force, which is an attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for the state. Most countries find that the best way to achieve citizen support is to emphasize shared attitudes that unify the people.

Ethnic Diversity in Western Asia The lack of correspondence between territories occupied by ethnicities and nationalities is especially pronounced in Western Asia. Major ethnicities of Western Asia include Turks, Iraqi Arabs, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Syrian Arabs as well as many other minor ethnicities.

Ethnicities in Turkey Ethnic Turks constitute roughly three-quarters of the population of Turkey. Turks are descended from migrants to present-day Turkey about 1,000 years ago. The most numerous minority is the Kurds, comprising 18 percent of the population and clustered in eastern Turkey.

Ethnicities in Iraq Ethnic Arabs comprise 90 percent of Iraq’s population and are divided between the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam.

Ethnicities in Syria Ethnic Arabs comprise 90 percent of Syria’s population. This ethnicity is divided among a variety of religious groups—Sunni Muslim (64 percent), Alawi Muslims (11 percent), Christians (10 percent), Druze (3 percent), and other Muslim denominations (2 percent). Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic are the most numerous Christian denominations. The Alawi, led by the Assad family, have held power in Syria since 1970. A civil war has ravaged the country since 2011, fought between the Assad government and its opponents.

Ethnicities in Lebanon Religious groups in Lebanon include 55 percent Muslim, 40 percent Christian, and 5 percent Druze. The Druze are sometimes categorized as Muslim, but they do not follow the Five Pillars of

Islam and do not self-identify as Muslim. Lebanon’s religious groups have tended to live in different regions of the country. There was a civil war between the two religious groups in 1975 and 1990, with each group forming its own militia to control its territory. Lebanon’s constitution grants official recognition to 18 religious groups and requires each be represented in their legislature based on its percentage in the 1932 census.

Ethnic Diversity in West-Central Asia Dozens of ethnicities inhabit West-central Asia. The most numerous ethnicities are Punjabis, Persians, Pashtuns, Uzbeks, and Azerbaijanis who are also present in Western Asia.

Ethnicities in Pakistan The Punjabi have been the most numerous ethnic group in the territory occupied by present-day Pakistan for thousands of years. Today the Punjabi comprise 45 percent of Pakistan’s population. The British established the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 1890s. The border is not recognized by Afghanistan and it divides the Pashtun and Baluch ethnic groups between the two countries.

Ethnicities in Iran The major ethnicity in Iran is Persian, comprising 61 percent of Iran’s population. Other ethnicities include: Azerbaijanis (16 percent), Kurds (10 percent), Lurs (6 percent), Turkmen, Shiite Arabs, and Baluchi (2 percent each).

Ethnicities in Afghanistan The most numerous ethnicities in Afghanistan include Pashtun (42 percent), Tajik (27 percent), and Uzbek and Hazara (each 9 percent). The current conflicts in Afghanistan stem from a 1979 rebellion by several ethnic groups against the Afghan government. In 1995, a Pashtun faction called the Taliban took control of most of Afghanistan, with their governance informed by their fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic doctrine. The Taliban was overthrown in 2001 by invading U.S.-led forces, leading to further instability among the country’s ethnicities.

Ethnicities in the Caucasus The Caucasus region was once part of the Soviet Union with Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia achieving independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Ethnic Armenians (98 percent) predominate in Armenia and adhere to Orthodox Christianity. Azerbaijanis comprise 90 percent of Azerbaijan’s people, and are a Turkic group and primarily Shiite Muslim. Ethnic Georgians comprise 82 percent of Georgia’s population. Other ethnic groups in Georgia include Azerbaijani (6 percent), Armenian (5 percent), Abkhazian (3 percent), Ossetians (2 percent), and Russian (1 percent). Russia has recognized breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia even though most of the world’s other countries do not.

Ethnicities in Central Asian States Central Asia was part of the Soviet Union. The five independent states that emerged from this area show varying degrees of ethnic diversity. Tajiks and Turkmens comprise 80 percent of the population of their respective countries. Kyrgyz and Uzbeks comprise more than 70 percent of their respective countries. Kazakhs comprise only 60 percent of the population of Kazakhstan.

7.3

Nationalism Loyalty and devotion to a particular nationality.