Ethnic Classification in Global Perspective: A Cross-National Survey of the 2000 Census Round

Academic interest in official systems of racial and ethnic classification has grown in recent years, but most research on such census categories has been limited to small case studies or regional surveys. In contrast, this article analyzes a uniquely global data set compiled by the United Nations St...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Population research and policy review 2008-04, Vol.27 (2), p.239-272
Main Author: Morning, Ann
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ancestry
Census
Census of Population
Censuses
Classification
Countries
Cross-national analysis
Culture
Demography
Ethnic groups
Ethnic Identity
Ethnicity
Hispanics
Hypotheses
International
International comparisons
International cooperation
International organizations
Minority & ethnic groups
Nationality
Population
Population Economics
Questionnaires
Race
Racial identity
Research Design
Social Sciences
Sociology
Statistical analysis
Survey data
Terminology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Academic interest in official systems of racial and ethnic classification has grown in recent years, but most research on such census categories has been limited to small case studies or regional surveys. In contrast, this article analyzes a uniquely global data set compiled by the United Nations Statistical Division to survey the approaches to ethnic enumeration taken in 141 countries. The motives for this analysis combine theoretical, applied, and policy objectives. I find that 63% of the national censuses studied incorporate some form of ethnic enumeration, but their question and answer formats vary along several dimensions that betray diverse conceptualizations of ethnicity (for example, as "race" or "nationality"). Moreover, these formats follow notably regional patterns. Nonetheless, the variety of approaches can be grouped into a basic taxonomy of ethnic classification approaches, suggesting greater commonality in worldwide manifestations of the ethnicity concept than some have recognized.
ISSN:0167-5923
1573-7829
DOI:10.1007/s11113-007-9062-5