How do Ethnicity, Ancestry and Identity Intersect?

I was reading that people from European countries among others(maybe also Japanese or any other country with a strong ethnic identity) find it silly when Americans of long ago Scottish, Irish, Italian ancestry visit their countries and claim to be proud Scots or Irish or Italian.

There were many debates about why Americans consider ancestry so important to identity but people forget that not long ago almost every else did as well and some outside of America still do.
[b]What are your thoughts on ancestry determining identity and its affect on ethnicity?[/b] Is it silly?
My group African American is in a different boat. We have a separate culture within America culture yet different from the mainstream American culture never having existed in another country. Totally born of the new world.

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QueenandCrown · 41-45, F

The more I study genetics the more I'm getting out of the racial identity. Race is a social construct. Race was introduced by Europeans to classify people from different cultural backgrounds. It was a system they use to try to scientifically prove that outside cultures were beneath them.

Now how do I identify myself?

As a human.

REMsleep · 41-45, F

@QueenandCrown 🥰I understand your belief and I love anthropology so I read and study a lot of cultural anthropological concepts.
I do not believe that race was created by Europeans and I do not believe that it is merely a social construct because race is actually very real but I do understand the reasons behind that thought process. I just disagree with dismissing race as purely social.

QueenandCrown · 41-45, F

@REMsleep Social construct is a real thing but race was used by certain group of people to identify people based off physical classifications. Hence Darwin's theory. There's plenty of history on this. How people identify themselves it's not always deemed by genetics.

Temporallube · M

@QueenandCrown @REMsleep appreciate your convo.

I say race is a construct as well, so my acceptance of a racial identity is more of a political construct. Certain groups were either oppressed by the designation or use it as a platform to fight against inequity and societal imbalances amongst citizens.

Pseudoscience made it biological.

Genetically I am definitely homo sapiens sapiens or human (both still loaded terms), but politically I am my ethnic and racial identity. Social realities are still realities.

REMsleep · 41-45, F

@QueenandCrown The reason that I do not agree is because racially I am classified as Black because my ancestors are from Africa.
Others from Sub-Saharan Africa share my phenotype (I know that looks are varied very much within Africa).
But, my phenotype gives me away instantly. People may treat me better or worse based on their correct assumption that I am an African American (which is a racial and cultural group).
Its not only a social construct that I am black indicating ancestry from SS Africa.
Now my DNA test says that I am also 19% European and 4% Native American. Am I still black?
Of course! Most African Americans are about the same as me. Do you believe that this is the reason that racial categories are nonsense?
Because they are not absolute?
Or because two people can identify in two different ways but share the same DNA?
I do not agree.

QueenandCrown · 41-45, F

@Temporallube Agreed.

REMsleep · 41-45, F

@Temporallube Well I hear ya but bottom line Mr.Sapien you can't run from your genetics and your genetics grant you certain diseases, phenotypic characteristics and predispositions that ring true statistically along racial lines.
Race is political, race is social and even though its messy its biological too.

QueenandCrown · 41-45, F

@REMsleep Scientifically speaking 'Black' is not a race. The early ancestors who migrate out of Africa as well as those who stayed identify themselves by tribes and nations. The terms 'Black', 'Moors', etc was what outsiders called the highly melanated people from these regions.

Temporallube · M

@REMsleep I’ve seen the recent evidence suggesting racial disparity amongst human groups. It’s not enough to convince me that biological races exist.

The evidence of immense variation being more diverse within a specific ethnic group, than among groups, still
makes more sense to me.

And this has nothing to do with my political stance on identity etc.

REMsleep · 41-45, F

@QueenandCrown Terms change. People even merge to create new ethnicities but it still indicates a genetic pool.
It dosent matter if tomorrow they start calling my race gummi bear race. As long as we have an understanding of what that means then it is valid.

QueenandCrown · 41-45, F

@REMsleep Exactly! Disregarding social terms such as race doesn't mean I don't have a strong understanding of my heritages. My people came from many nations and tribes, which is why I do not feel it is necessary to classify myself as only one.

REMsleep · 41-45, F

@Temporallube Well I didn't meantion it but I was previously in agreement with both of you a few years ago. After doing more reading I changed my mind back.
The real answer is so multidimensional that I can no longer confidently state that race is only a social construct. Yea maybe biologically there are no races.

What I mean is that our perception of race usually reflects ancestry.
Ancestry reflects many things which we attribute to race so thats what I mean

QueenandCrown · 41-45, F

@REMsleep I can understand your points. And though I didn't mention it I used to feel the same way as you do about race. I thought race was very much biological and define who we are as peoples until I started studying the history of how race was introduced.

REMsleep · 41-45, F

@QueenandCrown You guys are great. Great conversation. No need to agree to exchange ideas.