How to find out what nationality a person is. Nationality is what

06.02.2019

Instruction

In the West, after the 2nd World War, it is not customary to mention the term "" in relation to a person. Instead, if they want to emphasize a person's belonging to a particular ethnicity, they say "ethnicity". However, in Russia and other countries former USSR"nationality" is preserved.

Ask the person you are interested in directly about this. Oddly enough, but many people are absolutely not ashamed of their ethnic background, and can answer this question for you without much suspicion about you.

Listen to his speech, even if he speaks in Russian. So, in order to distinguish the guttural speech of the representatives of the Caucasus from the drawling speech of the Baltic states or from the grassing of the French, one does not need to have absolute pitch.

If you do not want (or - not surprisingly in modern world- you are afraid) to ask about it directly, try to determine the nationality of the person you are interested in "by eye". However, it is difficult to accurately determine nationality in this way, especially if you do not have sufficient experience or you do not know characteristics appearance (hair color, eye color and shape, facial features, skull structure) not only of a particular nationality, but at least of each of the varieties of existing races. After all, Caucasoids, Negroids, Mongoloids, Australoids, are subdivided, in turn, into several more types.

You can very, very approximately determine the nationality of a person, even without seeing him, but knowing only his last name and first name. Although, for example, there may be some discrepancies here. So, if the surname "Dubinin" (ending in "-in") will be considered native Russian, then the surname "Dvorkin" - Jewish (derived from diminutive form name "Dvoira" - "Deborah"). The same can be said about Belarusian, Polish and Jewish surnames ending in "-sky / tsky").

Nevertheless, if you caught the eye of the surname "Aliyev" or "Mukhametov", then most likely they are carriers Turkic languages, and surnames with "-uk / yuk", "-ko" - to Ukrainians or Belarusians. Although the already mentioned “-sky / tsky” or “-vich” are more common among Belarusians (with well-known assumptions towards other nationalities - from Serbs to). Therefore, sometimes it is worth paying attention to the first part of the surname. So, Ivashkevich will almost certainly be a Belarusian, while Rabinovich will be a Jew.

Pay attention to the tastes of the person you are interested in, how he looks at the world and what his priorities are. In some cases, even this method can lead you to the correct answer, despite the fact that and is still closely related to the traditions that people can adhere to.

Nationality is the belonging of a person to a particular nationality, ethnic group, including common language, history, culture and traditions. In addition, nationality denotes the legal affiliation of an individual to a state. The concept of nationality is rather conditional.

Article 26 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation indicates that each person has the right to determine or indicate his nationality. No one else can be forced to do this. Russia is multinational, including more than 100 peoples. Behind long years interethnic cohabitation, peoples largely mixed up, settled along different regions. There was no dominant nation in the Soviet Union. national question completely resolved, this area was beyond criticism, the difficulties that arose were hushed up. In the new conditions born of perestroika, there were ample opportunities for an open reaction to the current situation. Republics and autonomies decided to acquire the status of independent state formations, preserve and protect their language and culture. But these democratic changes were not without distortions. The rights of the indigenous nation were extended to include other nationalities. Tensions arose, the Russian population from the former Soviet republics. Nowadays, the urgency of the problem has only slightly decreased. Understanding as an ethnic category is typical for Russia and the Russian language. In most modern European languages this term is citizenship, nationality, nationality. But in essence, the concepts of nationality and citizenship do not completely coincide. For example, in Russian Federation the status of Russian citizenship implies certain legally fixed distinctions of nationalities. In fact, the identification of nationality and citizenship diminishes the determining role of nationality. This role is evidenced by the controversial nationality laws in different countries Oh. To obtain, for example, French citizenship, you must prove your French. In the European legal practice a number of principles have been developed to assign people to a particular nationality. The main concept of nationality is considered to be the conservative principle of "law", when citizenship is determined by the fact of birth from parents of the corresponding nationality. This principle, for example, allows ethnic Germans who were born outside of Germany to acquire German citizenship. The more liberal principle of "the law of the soil" determines nationality depending on the fact of birth in a certain territory. This principle is typical for France. These citizenship principles operate individually or in various combinations.

Sources:

  • What is nationality? How to treat other nationalities?

Over the past quarter century, the self-identification of the citizens of our country has undergone many changes and most often against the backdrop of political unrest. Well, over the past few years, it has even become fashionable to be “Russian”. No wonder it is believed that the nationality "Russian" is more than just the concept of "nationality", it is a state of mind. How many nationalities are there in the world, how did they form and how do they differ from citizenship? All these questions have become very relevant in recent times.

Origin of nationalities

Just a few centuries ago, such a concept as "nationality" did not even exist, only data on the speakers of a particular language were counted. Actually, this is happening now in many other countries of our planet. Mankind has always sought to divide itself into certain ethnic groups, for example, into tribes of the primitive communal system. Later, in the era of slavery and feudalism, the concept of nationality had already begun to take shape. And when society came to the bourgeois system, the concepts of "nation" and "nationality" appeared as the next stage in the development of ethnic groups. In most countries of the world, these definitions refer to the identification of citizenship, while in Russia and some other countries they have a broader meaning.

On a global scale

The concepts of "people", "nation" and "nationality" are almost identical, and it is difficult to isolate the main difference between them, because the division into ethnic groups has existed much longer than any of these definitions. Today, it is incredibly difficult to count all the nationalities of the world, because they are in constant dynamics, merging with each other, as a result of which many disappear. According to rough estimates, there are now about two thousand nationalities on the planet with a tendency to constantly decrease. This is somewhat more than self-identification on a linguistic or territorial basis, because in the presence of 251 official state there are about six thousand languages ​​in the world, each of which is native to someone. Therefore, it is difficult to determine how many nationalities actually exist. In addition to the most common and well-known, such as Americans, British, Germans, French, Spaniards, Italians, Greeks, Bulgarians and others, there are small and little-known ethnic groups: Balochs, Golds, Ingris, Lappies, Mishars and many others.

Difficulties of definition

Nationality is usually called belonging to a particular ethnic group. She has hereditary nature, because its main features are the surname and appearance of a person, as well as some character traits that are defined as mentality. But the concept is rather arbitrary. In connection with the constant dynamics towards the mixing of ethnic groups in the pedigree of a person, the presence of representatives of a wide variety of nationalities is possible, which makes it difficult to determine nationality itself. Thus, despite the fact that in many countries the main feature of such a definition is citizenship or language, nationalities increasingly remain a concept of self-identification of an individual.

From Empire to Federation

IN Russian Empire in 1897, a census was held, then the citizen's belonging to a particular ethnic group was determined by linguistic and religious grounds. A little later, the concept of “nations” and “peoples” began to be applied, and the column “nationality” in passports appeared already in the Soviet Union in the 70s of the last century. The Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR had this name for more exact definition presented in it territorial entities(republics, autonomous regions and districts). Well, today the Constitution of the Russian Federation enshrines the right to self-determination in the choice of nationality.

Such different "Russians"

Many people are very interested in the question why all the nationalities of the world are nouns (Latvians, Poles, Romanians, Tatars and others), and only Russians have this adjective. It is difficult to answer this question for sure, and different scientists put forward different theories. You should start with the fact that this is the largest nationality in the world. Nationality "Russian" have, according to various estimates, from 130 to 150 million people around the globe, living not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. Russians are the most numerous East Slavic ethnic group. This is the main part of the population and the indigenous people of Russia, as well as most of population of the former Soviet republics, such as Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova and others. But Russians are widespread not only in the post-Soviet space, in the USA, Germany, Canada and Brazil, but also in other countries. major states they are represented by large diasporas. Russian is considered the national language. Some sub-ethnic groups of the Russian people in other countries have their own names: Goryuny (region of Ukraine), Lipovans (region of Romania), Albazins (region of China), Nekrasovites (region of Turkey). As for the territory of Russia itself, despite the common nationality "Russian", the population is also divided into narrower ethnic groups, such as Cossacks, Sayans, Tudovians, Pomors, Kolyma, Siberians, Markovites and many others, depending on the region of residence .

What defines a Russian?

It is believed that as a nationality, "Russian" is too condensed a concept. These are not just some anthropological features or surname endings in -ov / -ev. V. I. Dahl, the great Russian scientist, writer and lexicographer, had his own point of view on the definition of a person’s nationality, and there is undoubtedly a rational grain in this opinion. He believed that depending on what language a person thinks in, he belongs to that people. Russian is spoken by a huge part of the world's population and, in addition to Russia, the vast majority of the population of some former republics USSR, while classifying itself among other nationalities on a territorial basis. Russians are more than a nationality, they are a civilization, original and unique, uniting language, culture, mentality into a single whole.

This question can be interpreted in two ways:

1. "How to choose which nationality to write in an official document?"

Article 26 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation states: "Everyone has the right to determine and indicate his nationality. No one can be forced to determine and indicate his nationality."

In case you yourself want to indicate your nationality or an official believes that Article 26 does not apply to his department, there is an "Alphabetical list options answers of the population for coding the answer to question 7 of the census form L of the All-Russian population census of 2010, "approved by order of Rosstat No. 74 of January 27, 2010. It contains 1840 nationalities, including "man of the earth", "man of the world", "Americans", "Estonians Orthodox", "blasphemy", "cosmopolitans", "Jews of Bukhara", "Great Russians", "crossbreed", "Brest residents", "inhabitants of the universe", "bulbashi" and "Khokhls". Citizens of the Russian Federation are not are obliged to choose the nationality of one of the parents and not change it to the grave. locality aware of these "innovations".

2. "How to determine your nationality for yourself?"

Perhaps you are not ready to identify yourself in one word, by mom or dad. If so, then no big deal. Self-identification is a deeply personal matter, and the concept of nationality in its Russian version was invented by the Russian state bureaucracy over a hundred years ago for their own benefit. Therefore, it is better to free your consciousness and not confuse these things - after all, this is exactly what Leviathan wants from you.

Any state is a machine of subordination and coercion. The concept of nationality is one of the tools that this machine uses to control the population of Russia. In the history of the USSR and Russia, there were few cases when people or ethnic groups received prizes for "good" nationality. In 99% of cases, nationality does not affect a person's life. But in the 1% of cases when she plays a role, this role is almost always negative:
a person is deported because he is Latvian or Korean;
he is made a vassal of Kadyrov because he is a Chechen;
he is not given access to secret documents, because he is a Jew;
he is arrested on charges of extremism, because he is Russian and has spoken about it publicly too many times;
he is called names at school because he is a Tajik;
he is suspected of betrayal because he is Ukrainian.

Even if you have a real sense of community with people of some ethnic group, remember that the state will never allow this group to really defend their interests. After all, this is a zero-sum game: if the ethnic group has more rights and opportunities, then the official has lost them. The maximum that they will give you is an official from your ethnic group, so that he robs you with an understanding of local specifics and in a national costume.

So my advice is: define yourself as who you feel you are. If the one you feel like is not in the list of 1840 nationalities and this feeling of self does not fit in 2-3 words, it does not matter. For example, I define myself as a "Russian American non-religious half-breed Jew from Latvia" and do not worry that there are not enough people with such a self-identification to dance or fill a cattle car.

NATIONALITY NATIONALITY - 1) a person's belonging to a certain ethnic community people, differing in the peculiarities of language, culture, psychology, traditions, customs, way of life. According to Part 1 of Art. 26 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, no one can be forced to determine and indicate his N.; 2) in a number of Romanesque states, the term (Spanish nacionalidad), used to denote citizenship or citizenship (Spain) or belonging to a particular nation state, which do not completely coincide in their content with the relations of citizenship (for example, in Mexico, citizens are recognized as persons possessing Mexican N., who have reached the age of majority and “lead a worthy lifestyle”).

Big legal dictionary. - M.: Infra-M. A. Ya. Sukharev, V. E. Krutskikh, A. Ya. Sukharev. 2003 .

Synonyms:

See what "NATIONALITY" is in other dictionaries:

    nationality- and, well. nationalite f. 1. State, state affiliation. Note also the unattractive rules of the Historian regarding those reasons that established and glorified Russia, and which, in his opinion, should be in future times ... ... Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language

    NATIONALITY, nationality, wives. 1. Same as nation. “...Only subject to the development national cultures it will be possible to involve the truly backward nationalities in the cause of socialist construction. Stalin. " The Supreme Council THE USSR… … Dictionary Ushakov

    1) belonging to any nation, people; 2) the people themselves. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907. NATIONALITY Nationality, totality distinguishing features and properties of the people. Explanation of 25000… … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

    This is a political and legal category, denoting a set of characteristics formalized by law, the possession of which makes a person a full member of the nation state. The concept of nationality developed in the 19th century, in the process ... ... Political science. Dictionary.

    See nation Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova. 2011. nationality n., number of synonyms: 5 ... Synonym dictionary

    NATIONALITY, and, wives. 1. see national. 2. In some combinations: the same as a nation. 3. Belonging to what n. nations, peoples. Ukrainian by nationality. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

    English ethnicity; nationality; German Nationalitat. 1. National and ethnic group, nationality. 2. Belonging of the individual to the CL. nat. or ethnic group, nationality, nation. 3. Citizenship or nationality; legal affiliation to one or another ... Encyclopedia of Sociology

    NATIONALITY- NATIONALITY, 1) the designation of modern. nationalities, nations, etc. ethnic. groups inhabiting the country (for example, nationalities of the USSR); Tribes do not usually apply. 2) Belonging of a person or group of people to a certain nationality or nation. ... ... Demographic Encyclopedic Dictionary

    nationality- Belonging to a particular nation, nation state ... Geography Dictionary

    NATIONALITY- (Spanish nacionalidad) in a number of Romance states, a term used to refer to relations of citizenship or citizenship (Spain) or relations of belonging of a person to a particular national state that do not completely coincide in their own ... ... Legal Encyclopedia

Books

  • Nationality and socialism, P.L. Lavrov. Reproduced in the original author's spelling of the 1887 edition (publishing house `Paris`). IN…
  • Nationality and socialism, P.L. Lavrov. This book will be produced in accordance with your order using Print-on-Demand technology. Reproduced in the original author's spelling of the 1887 edition (publishing house "Paris" ...

A few years ago in the Soviet Union, a lot depended on the nationality of a person, for example, getting a job, or entering a higher educational establishments. Now we live in a democratic country where the nationality of a person essentially does not play any role, as well as throughout the world, because, regardless of the place of birth of a person and his “blood”, everyone has equal rights.

However, the question of nationality is quite interesting, because each person is interested in knowing what kind of person this or that person comes from, or he himself, so in this article we will try to figure out how to determine nationality, all the more, it can be useful, for example, for emigration. There are many ways to determine nationality, consider each of them.

How to determine nationality - the first way

Ask your parents if mom and dad are Kazakhs, then you will belong to this nationality, but it often happens that parents are married different nationality, for example, the mother is Tatar, and the father is Ukrainian. Then you must determine your nationality based on general rules of one or another people, for example, in Russia the nationality is determined by the father, while in Israel the nationality is determined by the mother.

How to determine nationality - the second way

It happens that a person does not know his true parents, for example, he was adopted or brought up in an orphanage. Then the nationality of this person will depend on his place of residence, following the traditions of this people and knowing perfectly the language of the country in which this person lives. For example, you live in Germany, but your native language- Hebrew, you also honor the traditions of Israel, observe all Jewish holidays, for example, Hanukkah, which means you are a Jew.


How to determine nationality - the third way

By physiological signs, you can determine your nationality, although, most likely, this method can be subjective, not objective, because, for example, if you had a distant great-grandfather Armenian, and your mom and dad are Russians, then you can still manifest facial features inherited from a distant relative, such as eye color and nose shape. Below are the most common features of certain nationalities.
To begin with, let's remember school courses biology and consider existing classifications races of people that are determined by the place of residence: for example, dark skin contains more melanin, which protects from the debilitating sun.

  • Caucasoid race - about half of the world's population belongs to this type. Distinctive features: bright skin, soft or slightly wavy hair, narrow nose, thin lips, eye color may vary. TO caucasian race include residents of Europe, Armenians, Tajiks, Ukrainians and others.
  • Negroid race - most often found in Africa and America. People differ in dark skin, wide lips and nose, brown eyes (there are exceptions) and dark curly hair.
  • The Mongoloid race makes up about 40 percent of the world's population. It is distinguished by a yellowish skin color, a straight forehead, a wide nose and narrow eyes. The Mongoloid race includes the inhabitants of China, Japan, Koreans and other peoples of Asia.
  • Australoid race - inhabits Australia and the island New Guinea. Is different dark color skin, wide nose, brown eyes and well-developed hairline.

But, thanks to the rapid growth of the world's population, now there has been a mixture of different races, which makes a person unique. It is enough to read about one or another nationality so that one can attribute oneself to it.


In general, it is not only interesting to study your own or someone else's nationality, it is also quite cool to learn the traditions of certain nationalities, for example, what holidays are celebrated by residents of different countries. As you can see, nationality is sometimes difficult to determine, because in modern life people have a lot of "mixed" blood.



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