 Ethnic Relations
Click
link for "European
Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic
Relations"
Ethnic communities in many countries
still struggle with tensions between preserving their ethnic
identity and integrating into that country’s overall community.
Immigrants normally attempt to hold a sense of their heritage
but in order to advance in the country in which they live; they
often must integrate much of their ethnicity into that
country’s community. This process is not always an easy one.
This has been evidenced many times in many countries as tension
builds between ethnic groups and those who consider themselves
to be born natives of particular countries in which immigrants
are attempting to assimilate into. Ethnic relations have been
the cause of many conflicts throughout history. However, ethnic
relations also give to us the benefit of learning new customs
and traditions and can be a source of enrichment when allowed
to be so.
Many people feel that racial and ethnic
hostility is the largest problem that the world faces today as
a general society. Ethnic relations are seen nearly all over
the world as a prime moving force behind social conflict as
well as change. This change often becomes volatile and racial
interaction is seen throughout all aspects of our society
today. Many social issues which seem to have little or no
bearing on ethnicity or race become mixed with ethnic friction
and thus create even more complex problems than the original
issue. Race or ethnicity is often used by individuals and many
political organizations to further their own means.
Simply put, the migration of people around
the world is increasing virtually daily as a continuing result
of industrialization, democracy and nationalism. This merely
means that the number of ethnic minorities in nearly every
country in the world will increase daily as well. While there
are surely domestic problems created by the migration process,
people should begin to examine the role that is played by the
migration of people in the rise and progress of ethnic
nationalism.
There have, over the years, been a wide
multitude of scholars who have attempted to study and
synthesize the methods that are available for the management of
society’s ethnic relation conflicts. Many have developed a
classification of the methods of conflict resolution that has
been adopted by many countries. The mere fact that ethnic
relations exist may bring society into learning the benefits of
having such an aspect. Without ethnic relations we would be
forever tied down to our own beliefs and cultures. Ethnic
relations help people to learn about other cultures and other
heritages. Although the relations themselves are not always
what some may consider peaceful, the mere fact that they exist
can teach society as a whole to be more tolerant and to accept
inevitable change.
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