ABSTRACT
Ethnicity is both a scientific analytical category and a concept of everyday use. It identifies groups of human beings on account of their supposed common ancestry and cultural distinctiveness, and sets them apart from other people. The term ethnicity stems back to the ancient Greek word ethnos, which was used to address foreign people situated outside the sphere of Hellenistic influence who were, therefore, considered culturally different. With the breakdown of colonial rule in the Americas during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, ethnic classification was challenged by the political ideas of popular sovereignty and legal equality inherited from the Age of Enlightenment. With the turn of the millennium, the concept of a multicultural or pluri-ethnic state faces growing objection throughout the Americas. While traditional liberal critics continue to denounce the spread of social decomposition and conflict provoked by the emphasis on ethnic difference, ethnic activists deplore the inconsequence, inefficiency, or arbitrariness of constitutional and legal provisions.
