SV: SV: Kinship systems

[Lars Martin Fosse]

V.C.Vijayaraghavan [SMTP:vijay at VOSSNET.CO.UK] skrev 11. oktober 2000 00:08:

> This distinction between race and ethnos is fine. But to call Gonds
> dravidian in an ethnic sene is also a stretch. After all Gonds themselves
> call themselves Gonds and the word 'dravidian' is unknown to them. Hence
> ethnicity of Gonds is just Gond and not dravidian. It is not for
non-Gonds
> to put different labels on them

Your point is well taken. I was not strictly speaking interested in the
Gonds here, I just wanted to clarify a concept since "ethnic" is used quite
widely and should not be confused with "race".

>Vidyasankar Sundaresan wrote:
> It is my contention that people are not necessarily aware of the original
etymologies of the words they use today, as seen in the recent posts about
heresy and Greek heresias. Whatever a word may have originally meant in
Greek or Latin, it comes loaded with more modern meaning when used in
English.

Again point well taken. It is the current meaning that is relevant unless
we discuss older texts where the word is used in another sense (e.g. early
nineteenth century Europeans using the word "race"). But as I pointed out
above: "ethnic/ethnos" in the modern sense of the word cannot and should
not be confused with "race" in the modern sense. That's all. :-)


Best regards,

Lars Martin


Dr. art. Lars Martin Fosse
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