Finding Your Place in the World

Ethnicity is a big issue, here in Indonesia. It’s natural, considering that Indonesian archipelago consists hundred thousands of islands and with that, consists of thousands ethic groups. Asking people about their ethnicity is a normal question, in the sense that it’s not considered offensive or anything. For most people, it’s probably not difficult to answer in which ethnic groups they belong to. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the case for everyone.

Myself, for example. I was born in West Java and have spent all my life there. On the other hand, my parents originally come from East Java. Like majority of people who come from East Java, my parents are Javanese. Because my parents are Javanese, their children—including me, of course—should probably be considered as Javanese as well. The problem is, I never feel that way since I live in West Java, which is dominated by Sundanese culture. To make it short, I feel more like a Sundanese than a Javanese. So, am I a Sundanese or a Javanese?

The explanation above is just a foreword. What I’m trying to pour down in this piece basically is my views on the issue of ethnicity. What does belonging to a certain ethnic group really mean for people?

Ethnicity, What Is It?
In anthropological perspective, ethnicity refers to selected cultural and sometimes physical characteristics used to classify people into (ethnic) groups or categories considered to be significantly different from others. People who live in different parts of the world have different physical appearance, that’s completely normal in regards of the differences in natural conditions they must face. At the same time, those people also develop different culture as another tool for survival. That’s why physical appearance is used as means of ethnic classification. Of course, there are people who are similar in physical characteristics but have different culture. So differentiate ethnicity based on physical appearance can be hard to do most of the times. In the end, the basic of ethnic classification is cultural characteristic.

This is where it gets exciting. Or confusing. You decide. Culture is learned. It’s not something that is passed from generations to generations in genetic codes. In other words, it’s not “hereditary” in biological sense. Culture isn’t hereditary; therefore ethnicity isn’t hereditary as well. The “interesting” part (which I’m dying to tell you), ethnicity is considered genetic most of the times. Of course, in most cases a child is socialized in the same way as his/her parents therefore made him/her accepted his/her parents culture as his/her as well. Socialization happens every time someone is in contact with his/her surrounding though, not just through contact with family members, but with the community: neighborhood, school, etc. Through these contacts, a child can adopt a different culture from his/her parents. If that was the case, was the child still considered to have the same ethnicity as his/her parents? I believe that the answer to the question is: NO. Just check out the later part.

Adopting a Culture and Declaring Your Ethnicity
The world today still consists of many ethnic groups in the world these days even though history has recorded the disappearance or extinction of many ethnic groups and civilizations over the ages. They share different cultures which attracts anthropologists to study them. Interestingly, the main aim to study the cultures around the world isn’t to distinguish them one another but to understand the nature of being a human. Or to say it in other words:

“Anthropologists are interested to see the entire spectrum of behaviors, trying to learn the range of humanity¾all the ways that we can be human. By seeing humans in their every manifestation, and comparing those manifestations to each other, we can ask what is possible for humans and what is necessary for humans.” (quoted from Wikipedia)

This means, it’s not a big deal whether you’re an Indian, a Chinese, a Hispanic, etc. No culture is better than the other. Nobody is more humane than the other.

Why then, people still consider declaring ones’ ethnicity important? Simple. It’s because people are trying to find their place in the world. People have the needs to know WHO they are and what makes them unique¾without being entirely different from everyone else. Knowing the answers to those questions makes people feel better. So, in my opinion, you have the right to choose whatever ethnicity that you want. You can choose to be multiethnic. You can choose to be a member of an ethnic group that doesn’t even located in the same country as your homeland.

I have an interesting story in regards of that. A few years ago, I read about an American woman living in my country who was involving herself in traditional Sundanese customs. She’s able to sing Sundanese traditional songs excellently, she spoke Sundanese, and she even managed to adopt Sundanese culture in her daily life. She considered herself as a Sundanese and the society in which she lived in accepted her very well as a part of them, not as a foreigner who came from another country. Does that make her less of an American than her fellow countrymen/women? I don’t think so. I sincerely believe that she loves her native country, no matter what. Being “attracted” to another culture doesn’t mean that you don’t love your “native” culture or your country.

Related to the topic of “adopting others’ culture as yours”, it’s interesting how kids these days, in my country, tend to be less and less interested in their “own” culture and rather adopt Western pop culture. For this phenomenon, I have a totally different opinion. I don’t think that it’s OK. In the case I mentioned above (the Sundanese American woman), she adopt the Sundanese culture because she understand it well and feel intrigued by it. She understands Sundanese culture well. Contrary to that, most teenagers adopt Western pop culture just because they think it’s cool, trendy. They don’t understand the nature of it. The only reason why they’re adopting the culture is because everybody else (their peers) is doing the same. And nothing good comes from copying things without understanding their meanings.

The Answer
What does belonging to a certain ethnic group really mean for people? It gives them the idea of who they are, what they should socialize with others, and how they see the world. It gives you the idea of your place in the world. By the way, if you want to know, I’ve decided that I’m a Sundanese. I just feel like it.