ABSTRACT
The Question of Ethnic identity is central to sense of belonging and who the people are as a people. From the time the notion was first studied in the eighteenth century to the present, the people see the challenges of defining ethnic identity and the changing nature of its definition becomes apparent. The earliest ideas of ethnic identity were linked to race identity. Ideas of ethnic identity in the early nineteenth century were predominantly associated with common language and the ability to share one's common mental images from a nationalistic perspective. Quintana found that longitudinal research showed the progressive nature of ethnic and racial identity development. However, it is interesting to note the findings of a study on 'What is a Malay?' by Nagata. The psychological theory of the looking glass self by Cooley is also very apt in this scenario where one morphs into the image that one perceives of oneself in the society.
