论族群与民族

Ethnic Group and Nationality: The Concepts and Their Relationship

族群概念的引入和使用为中国人类学和民族学的研究开辟了一个新天地。族群概念的界定是多义的 ,有的强调族群的内涵 ,有的强调族群的边界 ,有的是两者兼而有之 ,但简明准确的界定可以概括为“族群是对某些社会文化要素认同 ,而自觉为我的一种社会实体”。族群与民族的区别是 :(1)从性质上看 ,族群强调的是文化性 ,而民族强调的是政治性 ;(2 )从社会效果上看 ,族群显现的是学术性 ,而民族显现的是法律性 ;(3)从使用范围上看 ,族群概念的使用十分宽泛 ,而民族概念的使用则比较狭小。族群与民族的联系是 :族群可能是一个民族 ,也可能不是一个民族 ;而民族不仅可以称为族群 。

The introduction and employment of the concept of ethnic group opened up a new sphere in the anthropological and ethnological research in China. The concept of ethnic group can convey several meanings, with some emphasizing its connotation, others emphasizing its boundaries and still others combining the both. For a concise and accurate definition, however, we can summarize the ethnic group as follows: an ethnic group is a form of social entity that identifies with its members in terms of some socio-cultural factors and that is aware of their identifications. The concept of ethnic group and that of nationality can be distinguished in the following aspects: First, the concept of ethnic group essentially underlines the cultural nature, while that of nationality underlines the political nature. Second, in terms of social effect, the former appears to be an academic concept, while the latter a legal one. Third, in terms of the range of application, the former can be widely used, while the latter is used within a relatively narrow range. The connection between the two is that an ethnic group may be correspondent with a nationality or may be not, whereas a nationality can not only be called an ethnic group, but also includes a number of ethnic groups in it.