For Immediate Release
February 21, 2008

Faculty Lecture to Examine Ethnic Identity

Sociology Professor Bob Lee to speak at 2 p.m., Feb. 25.

How do we develop a sense of ethnic identity? That will be the topic for the popular Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty Lecture Series on Monday, Feb. 25. Sociology Professor Bob Lee will talk about the new paradigm in studying ethnic identity at 2 p.m. in Building 3, Room 148.

"There has been a fundamental shift in the way we think about ethnic identity," Lee said. "Instead of studying culture, or even genes, the new paradigm emphasizes the relational and positional nature of ethnic groups. Groups develop a sense of identity not from the kinds of "cultural stuff" they engage in, but rather by learning to parse the world into particular kinds of units, typically identifying an 'us' versus a 'them." 

In the past, Lee said, ethnicities, races and nations were typically viewed as discrete, bounded social entities that formed the basic and fundamental units of social life. However, over the past several years, an increasing number of sociologists have begun to reevaluate this basic taken-for-granted assumption. "As a former teacher of mine once state, 'ethnicity is fundamentally not a thing in the world, but a perspective on the world." 

Lee's lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, call 650-306-3336. 

For more information, contact Robert Hood, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at hoodr@smccd.edu or 306-3340