Muslim Faith and Work Ethic in the United States Virgin Islands

The objective of the following article is to examine why a small number of Muslims from the Middle East chose to settle in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Further, the article is interested in how this Muslim community has retained its work ethic and religious identity in a predominantly Christianized USVI. The article also explores the relationship between this Muslim community and the USVI particularly since the events of 11 September 2001 (9/11). The findings are startling. Unlike some Muslim minority communities that have been unable to make significant strides forward, Muslims in the USVI have achieved impressive levels of economic achievement. Muslims have effectively dominated the retail business in the USVI while largely retaining the religious ways of their homeland, despite some assimilation. Local structural issues such as the inefficient entrepreneurial skills and unstable family ties among Virgin Islanders, as well as an upsurge in investment in tourism and industry, have paved the way for Muslims’ success in the USVI. Other Muslim minority societies trying to achieve growth and development in a foreign land might look at the manner in which Muslims in the USVI have achieved success and financial security.     

Book reviews

This study analyses the changing identity of immigrant and second generation Indian Jains. Using surveys and interviews in the United States and Mumbai, India, we find that Jains, a distinctive religious minority in India, acquire an ethnic identity of ‘Indian’ in the United States despite concerted efforts to maintain a religiously based identity. Social practices developed by Jains to maintain social cohesion after domestic migration within India actually aid in the creation of ethnic identity after transnational migration to the United States. The geographic context of these immigrants in the United States, including physical settlement patterns and interactions with non‐Jain Indian immigrants, also lead this group to express greater solidarity with ‘Indians’ than with ‘Jains’.     

论跨界民族的文化认同及其现代建构

跨界民族的文化认同是其成员对族群文化的反思性行为,是社会现代性的产物。它经由文化层面的冲突、反省和调整而得以形成。跨界民族在文化认同区分、凝聚和动员等主要功用的基础上对族际关系和国际关系产生影响。民族国家应推行积极的民族政策,引领跨界民族完成其现代建构,即从文化认同走向文化自觉。     

瑶族招郎仪式中族群文化认同的建构——以南岭走廊中段西岭山FMP瑶族村为例

在经济社会迅速发展、族群互动日益频繁的当今世界,生存在同一区域的不同族群,既要维持族内的文化认同,又要接纳强势的外族文化,才能确保本族的正常生存与发展。如何抉择并保证两种甚至多种认同互不冲突,招郎仪式对此做出了明确回答。仪式中展示的建构族内、族际文化认同的方式方法,体现出瑶族群众充分利用各种场所和可能建构族群文化认同。它是瑶族在主动适应社会变迁的同时,又灵活保存本族文化的重要手段之一。     

社会人类学的都市族群研究

从社会人类学的视角对都市族群研究进行文献综述和理论回顾,并对我国都市族群研究的可能性方向和研究方法进行探索,指出我国都市族群研究至少包括三个领域:(一)海(境)外华人在中国都市的族群认同、文化认同、国家认同表述研究;(二)少数民族融入大都市之后的族群、文化与社会认同表述研究;(三)新移民进入都市之后的族群性地域认同研究。都市族群研究内容包括认同建构研究、文化表述研究、大都市人意识与身份的形成过程研究。在研究中应注意族群内心情感问题、族群形成过程问题、认同的理性选择问题和历史记忆在认同建构中的作用问题。     

社会记忆:民族文学作为族群叙事文本--以瑶族创世古歌《密洛陀》的族群认同功能为例

在当代社会文化人类学的研究中,“认同”(identity)研究成了近几十年来最“热”、最重要的问题之一,“认同理论”在很短的时间内广泛地为其他人文社会科学所借鉴和应用,批评理论也不例外。民族文学作为族群认同的一个文化栽体,为族群的自我认同提供了基础,诸如归属感、表达记忆的文本和认同共同的祖先等等。瑶族创世古歌《密洛陀》,包含有“一个族群的自我认同的多要素”,它同时对布努瑶族群、族群历史、族群认同和族群边界进行了建构和解释,并将族群、族群历史、族群认同和族群边界聚合为一个有机的整体,不断强化着族群中族民的认同和归属意识。     

文化视野下的毛南族族群认同

毛南族是一个人口较少的民族,有着自己独特的族群认同意识。随着大众文化的传播、交流和渗透,形成毛南族独特的性格特征和族群认同的传统生活习俗、饮食习惯、服饰特点发生很大的变化。本文通过分析研究传统文化和大众文化两种不同文化语境下,毛南族族群认同的文化表征的变迁,以寻求重新整合毛南族传统的民族文化及构建族群认同的新路径。     

从族群认同走向民族认同——20世纪中后期广西的民族识别研究之三

本文认为,族群是偏重于文化特征的概念,民族是偏重于政治的概念。广西历史上就已经形成了12个各自具有共同历史来源、文化上各具特点并内部认同的族群,经过民族识别,这些族群被确定为民族,使他们从族群认同走向民族认同。但是,这种民族认同是建立在族群认同的基础之上的。     

Who are People Willing to Date? Ethnic and Gender Patterns in Online Dating

The United States is a rapidly diversifying country with ethnic minorities comprising over a quarter of the US population. By the year 2050, over half of the United States will be ethnic minority, underscoring the importance of better understanding race relations and willingness to date intra- and inter-racially. Data from 2,123 online dating profiles were randomly collected from four racial groups (Asian, Black, Latino, and White). Results indicated that willingness to date intra-racially was generally high and that willingness to date inter-racially was lower and influenced by racial social status. Because men evidenced an overall high willingness to date inter-racially, women’s willingness to out-date provided a more accurate depiction of racial social status and exchange. Women of higher racial status groups were less willing than those from lower status groups to outdate. Results are explored and discussed in relation to different theories of interpersonal attraction and dating.     

社会身份标记——红瑶身体装饰的文化表达研究之一

身体装饰是身体的文化表达的重要方式之一。一个特定群体的身体装饰的文化表达至少包含四个层面:社会身份标记、族群文化记忆的身体再现、个体情感和自我的经验表述、历史和身体政治的折射。红瑶通过仪式中的换装有着标记社会身份,进而建立起文化赋予的身份认同的重要意义,并成为红瑶集体意识的来源之一。     

Shedding light on economic opportunity: skin tone and job quality during the Great Recession

A significant body of literature suggests that skin-tone segmentation is a salient characteristic of inter-group economic inequality in the United States. Yet, empirical investigations of this social phenomenon and its impact on labour-market outcomes for worker’s in the United States remains limited or focused on the impact of skin tone on wages. This article examines whether or not phenotypic variability in skin tone among workers influenced levels of job quality experienced during the recessionary era (2007–2012). Data from the Puerto Ricans and the Impact of the Great Recession Survey were used to estimate a Poisson Regression with Endogenous Treatment Effects to consider the impact that variations in skin tone have on levels of job quality experienced by workers. Findings suggest evidence of skin-tone labour-market segmentation, as workers with darker skin shades experienced lower levels of job quality than those workers with lighter skin tones within and across larger racial and ethnic groups. The results also suggest important regional variations in the experience of skin-tone labour-market segmentation in the United States. The article concludes by reflecting on the implications of the findings for racial economic inequalities and patterns of social stratification in the contemporary United States.     

美国少数族群的双重认同轨迹及其影响

族群认同问题是民族问题中的核心问题。对于国际社会中处于多数的多民族国家而言,如何有效构建统一的国家认同和社会认同将是关乎国家团结统一的关键性问题。我们是谁?我们属于谁?随着族群生存环境和社会环境的变化,族群的认同总是会发生某种程度上的波动性变化,进行自我身份的再认知和认同的自我调整,这种情况在移民国家更为明显。在美国身份认同政治氛围高涨的情况下,本文通过对美国少数族群双重认同的形成、互动轨迹、影响因素及配合因素等进行综合分析,解析双重认同存在的根源,以为多民族国家加强对少数族群认同的认识和国家认同的建构提供借鉴。     

“多元一体格局”理论视阈下和谐民族关系实现途径探讨

本文从＂中华民族多元一体格局＂理论视阈,论述了和谐民族关系的必要性与实现途径,要旨在于说明：古往今来,我国就是统一的多民族国家,构建和谐民族关系,始终是祖国统一、民族团结和国家安全的重要保障,也是增强中华民族凝聚力和当前实现民族复兴大业的关键所在;费孝通先生所提倡的＂中华民族多元一体格局＂理论,不仅是对中华各民族关系之历史与现状的精辟的理论概括和真实写照,而且对于我们正确认识中国国情,做好民族工作,构建社会主义和谐民族关系,亦有着非常重要的理论价值和现实意义。     

Muslim Women in Australia,Britain and the United States: The Role of “Othering” and Biculturalism in Identity Formation

When Muslims migrate to Western countries, they bring their identity and culture with them. As they settle in their host countries, some Muslims encounter structural inequality, which is often revealed through media representation, unequal labour market status and racial profiling. Through the dynamics of structural inequality, some Muslim women remain doubly disadvantaged. Within their ethnic/religious community, Muslim women are expected to follow their cultural traditions and in the wider society their overtly Muslim appearance is often questioned. The discussion of identity formation in this paper is based on interviews with Muslim girls and women in Australia, Britain and the United States, aged between 15 and 30 years. Though the cultural and political contexts of these three countries are different, the practice of “othering” women have been similar. Through their life stories and narratives, I examine the formation of the participants’ identities. It was found that for many of these women their sense of identity shifted from single to multiple identities, thus revealing that identity formation was a flexible process that was affected by a variety of factors, including the relevance and importance of biculturalism in the women’s identity formation.     

文明对话与族际和谐

我国的国情与西欧单一民族国家不同,我国是一个统一的多民族的有着多元文化的国家,各民族既认同于中华民族和中华文化,又保留着各自的民族特色和民族文化,形成了在认同中容多样、在多样中求认同的格局。这就要求在新形势下必须加强各民族之间的文化交流与沟通,以实现各民族之间的和谐,增强中华民族的凝聚力。而穆斯林文化独具特色,个性鲜明,更需要与各民族文化特别是华夏文化交流与沟通,从而达到"各美其美,美人之美,美美与共"的境界,为实现建立现代化强国的共同目标创造良好的社会环境。     

铸牢中华民族共同体意识：理论逻辑、现实基础和实践路径

科学研判我国民族关系发展的客观现状,将铸牢中华民族共同体意识作为民族工作的主线,是以习近平同志为核心的党中央为我国民族关系长远发展所制定的战略规划。铸牢中华民族共同体意识具有凝心聚力之效,意蕴是丰富而多维的:其理论逻辑在于,对历史的继承和发展是历史意蕴,"五个认同"是核心内容,服务"两个大局"以实现中华民族的伟大复兴是价值导向;其现实基础在于,中华民族从"站起来""富起来"到"强起来"提供了物质基础,从"自在""自觉"到"自强"是其精神基础,中国特色社会主义民主政治提供了政治保障,多元一体的中华民族结构是其社会基础;最后,坚持和完善民族区域自治制度、建立共享繁荣发展的经济体、构筑各民族共有精神家园,加强各民族交往交流交融,是其实践路径。     

民族认同与国家认同研究述评

民族认同与国家认同的研究一直以来都是学界关注的重点内容之一,学者们为此进行了不懈的努力,成就卓然。文章通过对目前国内外民族认同和国家认同的相关研究成果进行系统梳理,指出通过引入身份认同理论,把群体或个体的意识和行为同文化和社会结构因素联系起来,从综合性、历时性的动态视角来研究民族问题,并由此总结出民族认同与国家认同变迁的规律或机理,将会更好地服务于现实社会。     

世界体系和民族关系:解读现代民族问题的一个视角

民族之间的交往行为在其所处的历史体系中发生 ,并从这个体系获得本质内涵。以民族国家为单位的现代世界体系对现代民族关系产生了决定性影响。由国家的政治结构和法律制度所决定的各民族在国家中的政治地位、经济利益和文化权利 ,是现代民族关系的本质。建立在排斥性认同基础上的民族国家观念制度及政策实践与现代国家多民族社会构成之间的矛盾 ,是现代国家内部各种民族矛盾和民族冲突的理论和实践渊薮。改善多民族国家内部的民族关系 ,必须从改造民族国家观念制度、重建政治共同体认同标准入手 ,其本身就是改造现代世界体系的重要内容     

中越边境边民互市中的族群互动与国家认同——以云南地西北边民互市点为例

当前中越边境沿线的边民互市点,超越了简单的经济和集市范畴,具有广泛和重要的政治、社会、文化内含。搞好边民互市点的建设和管理,对促进我国中越边境民族地区的经济和社会发展、促进族群互动、增强国家认同、维护边疆稳定具有十分重要的意义。