Social Construction of Identities: Pomaks in Bulgaria
Publisher: ECMI Volume: 25 pages, pdf Description: The point of departure for this article is the disjuncture between those who define ethnic identities according to essentialist principles and those whose definitions follow constructionist and/or instrumentalist principles. The former insist upon the objective nature of group identities which are fixed and resistant to change. The constructivists, on the other hand, examine the specifics of ethnicity as an individual choice. Ethnic identities are not fixed but fluid, changing according to subjective evaluation by individuals and groups of circumstances at a given time and place. As Emile Sahliyeh has observed, an identity “serves the practical needs and interests of the members of the community.