ONTOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE STUDY OF THE CATEGORY “ETHNIC IDENTITY” IN THE INTEGRATED COURSE “CIVIC EDUCATION”

Abstract

The article aims to analyze the ontological tools which students use to understand the definition of the concept of ethnic identity. Accordingly, the objectives of the survey are to study the theoretical and methodological content of the leading ethnic-forming factors in the context of socio-economic and socio-political realities of modern Ukraine and ethnic identity. The author’s analysis of textbooks and manuals for teachers and students of the integrated course “Civic Education” proves that the concept of “ethnic identity”, the study of which is provided by the course program, has no proper scientific justification. Such a situation creates significant difficulties for the teacher in explaining and for students in understanding the issue of ethnic identification. The critical question for modern youth is whether a person can choose and/or change their ethnicity (ethnic identity). The article detailly reveals a modern understanding of such basic categories for ethnic identification as ethnicity, ethnic communities, ethnogenesis, nation, ethnicity with the involvement of experts (anthropologists, geneticists, culture managers, historians, ethnologists, etc.). Particular attention is paid to the interpretation of constitutional provisions regarding the categories of Ukrainian people, Ukrainian nation, ethnic (national) minorities, indigenous peoples. The author argues that social, cultural, historical and psychological factors (language, mentality, customs, traditions, upbringing, etc.) play an essential role in ethnic identification. However, a crucial role in the process of ethnic identification is played by a person’s awareness of himself as part of a particular ethnic group (personal self-identification), and this situation allows a person to choose and/or change their ethnicity. Relevant examples support all theoretical provisions of the article.