Visiones de la etnicidad

Abstract

This article presents and assesses the major contributions made by some of the studies
carried out on the ethnic character and ethnic relationships during particular recent decades, as
compared with the predictions of different variants of contemporary sociological theory, through
a significant intensification of articulated social conflicts over ethnic loyalties and dividing lines.
The advances made are stated and some of the lacunae and abuses that have dominated the
debate between primordialist and constructivist views of the ethnic character are identified.
As contrasted with reductionisms of cultural primordialism and, besides, certain versions that are
typecast in constructivist theory, such as radical instrumentalist approaches to the ethnic
identity, the subject of the need to consider the ethnic character as a dual phenomen is touched
on: as a combination which in many aspects is unique between interest and primary or affective
adherence, which provides ethnic associations with a significant degree of superiority as against
other forms of collective association as a nucleus of social mobilization.