Ethnicity refers to an ethnic group that an individual belongs to. It typically refers to the identity of a group determined by its culture, religion, traditions, and customs. One of the earliest definitions of ethnicity is often credited to Herodotus, who defined the “Greekness” of his people through a checklist including the following: common blood, language, shrines, sacrifices and traditional ways of life. While scholars have expanded on the term since, they also moved away from some elements of the checklist including “common blood”, which is more frequently attributed to race rather than ethnicity.
Whilst the terms “race” and “ethnicity” are frequently used together, it is important to understand the difference. The term "race" describes the idea of classifying individuals into groups according to different sets of physical traits and the process of giving those groups social significance. A person's ethnicity encompasses their language, background, religion, and customs, as well as their way of life in a particular geographic area.
