The Survival of Ethnic Groups

Author Anthony Smith, in his book “Myth and Memories of the Nation,” devotes his fourth chapter to the study of the development of ethnic groups and their survival throughout history. Smith defines an ethnic community as a “named human group claiming a homeland and sharing myths of common ancestry, historical memories and a distinct culture.” Smith also goes into a discussion of the idea of ethnic election, which is the belief by certain people that they are “chosen” from above. These ideas have become increasingly important in the 21st century, as ages old political boundaries are being broken down by civil war and the reclamation of ethnic identity. Smith’s analysis gives a template for academics and intellectuals, as well as leaders of ethnic groups, to understand the move away from a melting pot towards a global devolution toward ethnic regionalism.

Using such examples as the Arabs of the Crusades and the Muscovite Russian State, Smith provides four distinct patterns of the creation and survival of ethnic groups throughout history. One such pattern is the imperial-dynastic pattern, which attaches the election of the ethnic group to the ruling dynasty and the maintenance of this rule found in the attachment to members of the group to symbols created or associated with the rulers. Essentially, this pattern means that members of this group will always associate their ethnic group with those symbols attached to the ruling dynasty. The second pattern is the communal-demotic pattern, which is an effort by a conquered people (i.e. the Israelites) to attach the election myth to the connection between the land and the people of the ethnic group.

This means that throughout their existence, the communal-demotic people will always consider their identity attached to their land, whether they are in exile or returned to their land. The third pattern is that of the emigrant-colonist, which is the myth that the people themselves have been elected to start new communities abroad instead of staying in their homeland. This allows the marriage of religious missions with the frustration with injustices within a group’s homeland, similar to that of religious missionaries in the American colonies. Finally, there is the diaspora-restoration pattern, which sees the reconciliation of a people with their homeland as the final completion of their election myth. All four of these patterns have a long list of historical supporters and as ethnic groups in Africa and Asia continue to agitate in the 21st century, understanding Smith’s analysis will be key to world leaders and intellectuals.

Finally, it is important to understand Smith’s distinction between ethnocentrism and the idea of ethnic election. In Smith’s mind ethnocentrism only requires that ethnic communities regard themselves as the center of the universe morally and have an antagonistic relationship with neighboring communities. Ethnic elections, on the other hand, place individuals under moral obligations, requiring that each member of the community obey a specific set of rules that guide a life that is worthy of fulfilling the promise of election. This discussion by Smith should be included in every news story on ethnic warfare, especially involving the Israeli-Palestinian situation. It is difficult to understand entirely every election myth and how it can be fulfilled amicably by all sides, but definition of the problem is key to finding a way towards a solution to ethnic tensions throughout the world.