Theories of ethnicity and the dynamics of ethnic change in multiethnic societies

I modify Fredrik Barth’s approach, which sees ethnic group building as a signaling system, to place it within a framework that draws from collective action and costly signaling theories. From these perspectives, ethnic signaling, although representing a costly penalty to group members, is one effect...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2015-07, Vol.112 (30), p.9176-9181
Main Author: Blanton, Richard E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropology - methods
Archaeology
collective action
Commerce
Communication
costly signaling
Ethnic Groups
Ethnicity
History, Ancient
Humans
Minority & ethnic groups
Models, Theoretical
Multiculturalism & pluralism
nationalities and ethnic groups
Politics
public services and goods
Resource management
Social Behavior
Social Change
Social Sciences
SPECIAL FEATURE: PERSPECTIVE
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Summary:I modify Fredrik Barth’s approach, which sees ethnic group building as a signaling system, to place it within a framework that draws from collective action and costly signaling theories. From these perspectives, ethnic signaling, although representing a costly penalty to group members, is one effective form of communication that facilitates collective management of resources. I then identify three contexts in which the benefits of ethnic group building are likely to outweigh its signaling costs: in politically chaotic refuge and periphery zones; in the context of long-distance specialist trading groups; and within the territorial scope of failed states. I point to selected data from the Mughal and Aztec polities to illustrate how a combination of effective public goods management, in highly collective states, and the growth of highly integrated commercial economies will render ethnic group building superfluous.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1421406112