The difference between a substantivist and a relational understanding of ethnic identity

1) Explain the difference between a substantivist and a relational understanding of ethnic identity, making reference to Fredrik Barth. In Barth’s model, what is the most prominent location of strong affiliations with ethnicity?
2) What do anthropologists mean when they say that race is “socially constructed”?
3) What are the unintended consequences of humanitarianism? Give at least two examples.
4) Define “technomoral” and elaborate on how an understanding of technomoral politics expands what counts as humanitarian work.

Sample Solution

The difference between a substantivist and a relational understanding of ethnic identity

An ethnic group or ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups such as a common set of traditions, ancestry, language, history, society, culture, religion or social treatment within their residing area. Fredrik Barth`s “Ethnic Groups and Boundaries” from 1969 has been described as instrumental in spreading the usage of the term ethnicity in social studies in the 1980s and 1990s. Barth went further than Weber in stressing the constructed nature of ethnicity. To Barth, ethnicity was perpetually negotiated and renegotiated by both external ascription and internal self-identification. Barth`s view is that ethnic groups are not discontinuous cultural isolates or logical a priority to which people naturally belong.

The last point is the plot is something that is divided into three parts, the beginning, middle and end. At the very beginning of the story, the scene is set and “the progression of change creates conflict and sets the parameters for the rest of the story. The conflict escalates but is finally resolved, marking the end of the story” (Fog, 2004:44). The reason the plot and flow of the story is so important, is because “it is vital to the consumer’s experience” (Fog, 2004:44). The plot is something that can be developed over time to create a more immersive experience, or can be done cleverly in 30 second advertisements to catch the consumers attention.

Now the four ‘checkpoints’ have been outlined and explained, it’s time to work out how brands apply this to their marketing and advertisement strategies. Once it is understood how these brands apply storytelling, it will become visible how they can “create identification, engagement and relevance” (Fog, 2004:164) with their consumers. Brands use storytelling as a sales promotion tool, and “More and more companies are looking to create a story universe surrounding their products and services. In doing so, their story becomes the driving force behind their brand values” (Fog, 2004:164). When companies can tell an immersive story through their marketing and advertisements over a long period, Klaus Fog refers to brands being able to create a “story universe surrounding their products and services” (Fog, 2004:164). The fact that Fog identifies the stories that brands tell as a fictional universe, allows the consumer to get fully immersed in the story. This is where the story becomes “the driving force behind their brand values” (Fog, 2004:164). By creating this other ‘universe’ revolved completely around the brand, they can strengthen their image, and make an even stronger emotional connection to the consumer, which separates them from other brands.

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