ABSTRACT

The end of ethnicity could also be reversed, at least temporarily, by groups which try to reinvent it. The end of ethnicity could, however, be put off for a long time, by post-symbolic stages, when ethnicity is remembered in museums, by institutions of higher education, especially those with donated professorial chairs, by tourist agencies serving the especially nostalgic, and non-ethnic populations. Most newcomers to the United States, especially white skinned ones have been free to acculturate with fairly few constraints. Some were and are under pressure to Americanize immediately, while others were able to acculturate publicly but maintain their ethnic loyalties and practices privately. In effect, feeling ethnic is achieved by employing ethnic objects, material and nonmaterial, as well as symbols. Ethnic feelings could be further expressed by celebrating famous co-ethnics, whether entertainers, athletes, artists, writers and others. Ethnic feelings can be expressed in many ways, including occasional returns to ethnic culture and participation in ethnic organizations.