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EvanWebsterWiley
Prof.
scarFernndez
FRINQ:Globalization
Assignment:MyIMBStory
2November2015
SeekingEthnicityWithintheAmericanMeltingPot
Americaisanationthatwasfoundedatopalreadyexistingculturesnotthreehundred
yearsago.Today,asitalwayshadbeen,theUnitedStatesisameltingpotofmigrantsfromall
aroundtheworldwhocomeforlibertyandopportunityamongstotherthings.However,how
doesonewhowasbornandraisedinAmerica,withtheirancestorsbeforethemhavingdonethe
sameforgenerations,connectwiththeirethnicity?Moreandmore,thismeltingpotcalled
Americaisseeminglydetachingitscitizensfromethnicity,notbyfaultofanyonething,butby
natureofthewaythiscountryhasalwaysbeenastimepasses.Mystoryisthesame,andIam
lookingtoseewhatmyethnicityactuallyis,howIwouldgoaboutfindingthatout,andwhether
ornotIcanevenidentifywithanyoneethnicity,consideringmybloodlinehasbeenhereforso
long.WhatIamtalkingaboutissomethingcalled
Polyethnicity
(OxfordEng.Dictionary).
AnuncleofminesnameisLloydOscarWileyIII,which,asanypersoncouldassume,is
veryIrish.ThisisthereasonIwanttotalkaboutmyfatherssideofthefamily,beingthatitis
moredeterminatewhenitcomestoethnicity,itseems.Iampresumedtobe12.5percentIrish
whichmeansthattechnically,theother87.5percentofmyheritagecouldbesplitupinan
infiniteamountofotherwaysbetweentherestoftheethnicitiesintheworld,eventhoughI
knowthatisnotthecase.Thepointis,if12.5percentofanethnicityiswhatIwouldconsiderto

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beamoredeterminatepartofmyheritage,thenitmeansthatIcanonlyreallyconnectwith12.5
percentofmyentireethnicidentity.
Howeverdetachedonemightbefromtheirethnicity,thenicethingaboutitisthat
everyonehasancestorsthatlivedinacertainregionand,unlikerace,ethnicityisabiological
reality,notjustageneralizinglabel.Withthatbeingsaid,weliveinaglobalizedworldnow
whichinothertermscouldbereferredtoaspostimperial.InanarticlebyMichaelMussaofThe
Globalist,itisstatedthat
bytheendofthe19thcentury,thepoliticalmapoftheworldwas,to
animpressiveextent,apatchquiltofdifferentempires.Thispoliticalrealityclearlyinfluenced
patternsofglobaleconomicintegration,whichtendedtobestrongerwithinratherthanacross
imperialdomains(Mussa).Thereasonthisispertinentisbecauseinapostimperialworld,there
isanentirelyslowerestablishmentofwhatdefinesethnicities,meaningthatitisunlikelyforthe
officiallanguageinLatinAmericancountries,forexample,tochangebecausethereareno
longeranycountriesinjectingtheirinfluenceinsuchadirectway.Thisdoesofcourseexclude
anymoderncircumstancesofthingslikecivilwarorWorldWarOneandTwo.Inlightofthis,
itisasthoughourancestrydoesnothavetogoanyfurtherbackthantheendofImperialism
thatitissolidifiedthere.Therefore,thedivisionofonesethnicitycomessolelyfromwhentwo
peoplefromtwodifferentsolidifiedethnicitieshaveachild.Withinreason,onedoesnothave
tolooktoofarbacktoidentifywithoneethnicityoranother.Itcouldbearelativelyeasytaskto
askfamilymembersorlookatafamilytree,havingtogonofurtherthanfiveorsixgenerations
back.However,whetherornotsomeonesethnicityishighlydividedornotdepends,ofcourse,
onwhetherornottheirancestorsmarriedwithinthesameethnicity.Consideringthefactthatthe
worldisglobalized,youdonotseepeoplemovingfromoneplacetoanotherwiththeintention
ofconqueringorinfluencingsucharegion,youseethemmovingmerelyasmigrantsto

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preestablishedcountriesthatarenowmeltingpots,morethanever.Sincethisisthecase,it
becomesmoreandmorecommonthatinterethniccouplesarehavingchildrenandourabilityto
distinguishethnicityinthismoderndaybecomesincreasinglyconvoluted.Howeverdifficult,it
isstillpossibletoidentifyethnicity,butinsomeways,thosedifficultiesjustifytheuseofraceas
ameansofsimplicity,forbetterorworse.
ItisprimarilyforthesakeofsimplicitythatIrefertomyselfasatheraceofwhiteand
notbymyseeminglyconvolutedandcomplexethnicity.Itisunlikelythatifsomebodywereto
askmewhatmyethnicityisthatIwouldrespondwith,Iam12.5percentIrish,and87.5percent
unknown.Iwouldmorelikelyrefertomyselfascaucasian,white,orAmerican.Maybethe
questionisnotwhetherornotwehavetheabilitytoidentifywithourethnicities,maybeitis
actuallywhetherornotweneedtoidentifywiththem.Itisnottosaythatethnicitywill,atany
point,disappear,becauseasIalreadymentioned,itisnotageneralizinglabel,itisabiological
reality.Inaddition,asonecouldassume,therearestillprobablymillionsofcasesofpeoplewho
haveonehundredpercentofanethnicitybecausetheirancestorshavelivedwithinthesame
regionforthousandsofyears.Therefore,itseemsthatitismostimportantthatweasaspecies
recognizeadistinctionhereandtreatraceandethnicityasparallels,notasinterchangeable
identifications.WhilealthoughImayconsidermyselfcaucasian,white,orAmerican,itdoesnot
negatethefactthatIam,infact,12.5percentIrishand87.5percentunknown.Andjustthesame,
whilealthoughsomebodymaybeonehundredpercentKenyan,itdoesnotnegatethefactthat
theycouldbeconsideredblack,whetherornottheychosetobelabeledthatway.

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WorksCited

1. polyethnic.
Oxforddictionaries.com
.TheOxfordEnglishDictionary.2015.Web.1
November2015.
2. Mussa,Michael."GlobalizationandtheEndofImperialism."
TheGlobalist
.The
Globalist,1Mar.2001.Web.2Nov.2015.