Ethnicity vs. Culture: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Ethnicity is the identity based on shared genetic traits, common ancestry, and historical bonds. Culture is the collection of shared beliefs, practices, customs, and social behavior of a particular nation or people.
Key Differences
Ethnicity refers to the shared characteristics of a group derived from genetic ancestry, including physical appearance and lineage. Culture encompasses the social customs, arts, achievements, and norms developed by a group of people, influenced by historical, geographical, and social factors.
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Dec 01, 2023
While ethnicity is often rooted in biological and geographical origins, culture represents the collective intellectual achievements, traditions, and values of a group. Ethnicity remains relatively constant across generations, whereas culture can evolve and adapt over time.
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Dec 01, 2023
Ethnicity is typically passed down through familial lines, signifying a connection to one's ancestors and historical heritage. In contrast, culture is learned and shared within a community, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, and social habits.
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Dec 01, 2023
The concept of ethnicity often includes a sense of belonging to a group with common historical and geographical roots. Culture, however, is a broader term that includes the ways in which a group expresses itself creatively, manages daily life, and interacts socially.
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Dec 01, 2023
Ethnicity is more about one’s inherent identity, often linked to race and nationality. Culture, on the other hand, is about the collective expression of a group's way of life, encompassing arts, education, and moral values.
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Dec 01, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Refers to shared genetic traits and ancestry.
Encompasses shared beliefs, customs, and social behavior.
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Change over Time
Generally stable and inherited.
Dynamic and evolves with societal changes.
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Transmission
Passed through familial lineage.
Learned and shared within a community.
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Scope
Tends to be more specific to a group.
Broad and inclusive of various aspects of life.
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Manifestation
Seen in physical traits and lineage.
Expressed through language, arts, and social practices.
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Dec 01, 2023
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Ethnicity and Culture Definitions
Ethnicity
A social group that shares a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like.
The festival celebrated the rich diversity of the city's various ethnicities.
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Dec 01, 2023
Culture
The arts, customs, and habits that characterize a particular society or nation.
The culture of Japan is known for its traditional arts and strong sense of community.
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Dec 01, 2023
Ethnicity
The shared characteristics of a group, derived from their cultural heritage and ancestry.
Their ethnicity is reflected in their culinary traditions and family rituals.
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Dec 01, 2023
Culture
The beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects that constitute a people's way of life.
Modern culture often reflects a blend of traditional values and contemporary influences.
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Dec 01, 2023
Ethnicity
The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.
Her ethnicity ties her to a rich tradition of storytelling and folklore.
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Culture
An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior.
The company's culture emphasizes innovation, collaboration, and respect.
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Dec 01, 2023
Ethnicity
A category of people who identify with each other based on common ancestral, social, cultural, or national experiences.
The ethnicity of many people in the United States includes a mix of various global origins.
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Dec 01, 2023
Culture
The arts, beliefs, customs, institutions, and other products of human work and thought considered as a unit, especially with regard to a particular time or social group
Edwardian culture.
Japanese culture.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
These arts, beliefs, and other products considered with respect to a particular subject or mode of expression
Musical culture.
Oral culture.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The set of predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize a group or organization
A manager who changed the corporate culture.
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Oct 19, 2023
Ethnicity
The common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language or national experiences.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
Mental refinement and sophisticated taste resulting from the appreciation of the arts and sciences
A woman of great culture.
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Culture
Special training and development
Voice culture for singers and actors.
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Oct 19, 2023
Ethnicity
An ethnic quality or affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties;
Ethnicity has a strong influence on community status relations
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The breeding or cultivation of animals or plants for food, the improvement of stock, or other purposes.
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Oct 19, 2023
Ethnicity
A large group of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background.
Ethnicity plays a crucial role in shaping one's cultural identity.
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Dec 01, 2023
Culture
The growing of microorganisms, tissue cells, or other living matter in a specially prepared nutrient medium.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
To grow (microorganisms or other living matter) in a specially prepared nutrient medium.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The arts, customs, lifestyles, background, and habits that characterize humankind, or a particular society or nation.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The beliefs, values, behaviour and material objects that constitute a people's way of life.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The conventional conducts and ideologies of a community; the system comprising the accepted norms and values of a society.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
(anthropology) Any knowledge passed from one generation to the next, not necessarily with respect to human beings.
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Culture
(microbiology) The process of growing a bacterial or other biological entity in an artificial medium.
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Culture
The growth thus produced.
I'm headed to the lab to make sure my cell culture hasn't died.
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Culture
(cartography) The details on a map that do not represent natural features of the area delineated, such as names and the symbols for towns, roads, meridians, and parallels.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
(archaeology) A recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place that may constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
(euphemism) Ethnicity, race (and its associated arts, customs, etc.)
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Culture
(transitive) to maintain in an environment suitable for growth especially of bacteria cultivate}}
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Culture
(transitive) to increase the artistic or scientific interest in something cultivate}}
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The act or practice of cultivating, or of preparing the earth for seed and raising crops by tillage; as, the culture of the soil.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The act of, or any labor or means employed for, training, disciplining, or refining the moral and intellectual nature of man; as, the culture of the mind.
If vain our toilWe ought to blame the culture, not the soil.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The state of being cultivated; result of cultivation; physical improvement; enlightenment and discipline acquired by mental and moral training; civilization; refinement in manners and taste.
What the Greeks expressed by their paidei`a, the Romans by their humanitas, we less happily try to express by the more artificial word culture.
The list of all the items of the general life of a people represents that whole which we call its culture.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The cultivation of bacteria or other organisms (such as fungi or eukaryotic cells from mulitcellular organisms) in artificial media or under artificial conditions.
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
Those details of a map, collectively, which do not represent natural features of the area delineated, as names and the symbols for towns, roads, houses, bridges, meridians, and parallels.
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Culture
To cultivate; to educate.
They came . . . into places well inhabited and cultured.
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Culture
A particular society at a particular time and place;
Early Mayan civilization
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Culture
(biology) the growing of microorganisms in a nutrient medium (such as gelatin or agar);
The culture of cells in a Petri dish
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Culture
(bacteriology) the product of cultivating micro-organisms in a nutrient medium
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Culture
A highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality;
They performed with great polish
I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose
Almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization;
The developing drug culture
The reason that the agency is doomed to inaction has something to do with the FBI culture
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Oct 19, 2023
Culture
The sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings, transmitted from one generation to another.
The culture in her hometown was passed down through stories and rituals.
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Dec 01, 2023
Culture
The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.
Youth culture today is significantly influenced by digital technology.
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Dec 01, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
What defines culture?
Culture is the collection of shared beliefs, practices, customs, and social behavior of a particular group.
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Dec 01, 2023
Is ethnicity the same as nationality?
Not necessarily. Ethnicity refers to ancestral traits, while nationality is linked to the country of citizenship.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can ethnicity change over time?
Ethnicity is generally stable as it is based on ancestry and genetics.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can culture shape one’s understanding of their ethnicity?
Yes, cultural context can shape how individuals perceive and express their ethnicity.
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Dec 01, 2023
What role does religion play in ethnicity and culture?
Religion can be a significant part of both, influencing values and traditions.
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Dec 01, 2023
How does culture evolve?
Culture evolves with changes in societal values, technologies, and global interactions.
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Dec 01, 2023
What is ethnicity?
Ethnicity refers to a group of people who share common genetic traits, ancestry, and historical bonds.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can someone belong to multiple cultures?
Yes, individuals can be part of multiple cultures through exposure, adoption, or migration.
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Dec 01, 2023
Is language a part of culture or ethnicity?
Language is primarily a cultural aspect but can also be an ethnic identifier.
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Dec 01, 2023
Does ethnicity influence culture?
Ethnicity can influence cultural practices but they are not the same.
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Dec 01, 2023
How do cultural exchanges impact society?
They foster understanding, diversity, and innovation in societies.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can ethnicity impact cultural access and participation?
Yes, ethnicity can sometimes influence one’s access to certain cultural spaces.
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Dec 01, 2023
How important is heritage in understanding ethnicity?
Heritage is crucial as it links individuals to their ancestral roots.
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Dec 01, 2023
Is cultural diversity important? Why?
Yes, it encourages a broader perspective and deeper understanding of the world.
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Dec 01, 2023
How are ethnic traditions preserved?
Through family lineage, storytelling, and community practices.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can ethnic identity be chosen or changed?
Ethnic identity is typically inherent, though personal identification can evolve.
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Dec 01, 2023
Are cultural norms the same worldwide?
No, they vary significantly across different societies.
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Dec 01, 2023
Does globalization affect ethnicity?
Globalization can influence the expression of ethnicity but doesn’t change its genetic basis.
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Dec 01, 2023
What is cultural assimilation?
The process by which a person or group acquires the culture of another group.
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Dec 01, 2023
Do cultural practices vary within the same ethnicity?
Yes, cultural practices can vary widely even within the same ethnic group.
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Dec 01, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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