ABSTRACT
The author focuses on ethnic self-identification. Every ethnic group claims its own unique tradition and history, yet a sense of identification with one's group is a more common aspect. The author argues that 'identification' can be conceptualised in different ways, and examines the distinction between a cognitive approach and a more affective one. He then addresses the issue of identification in a minority-majority context, by discussing a two-dimensional model, in which identification with both the ethnic ingroup and the majority group is considered. Self-identification is more motivationally based and involves people's commitment to the group whereas self-categorisation is more concerned with the perception of similarity and prototypicality. Most of the existing research on ethnic minority identification focuses on the level of self-identification with one's own ethnic group. For example, there are many studies that use social identity theory. This theory argues that people strive for a positive self and that the selfconcept is to some extent derived from group membership.
