Social Construction Of Ethnic Identity

According to Fredrik Barth, ethnic identity is constructed or converted through the interaction of social groups through a process of inclusion and exclusion that establishes boundaries between these groups, defining who belongs and who doesn’t. For Garifunas this process of globalization has forced them to analyze their own ethnic group as a form of organization, and social organization of cultural differences. This means that, both in and out of the group, social relationships are organized from cultural differences. The effects of migration and globalization have caused Garifunas to look at themselves and their ethnicity as a continuous process of dichotomization between members and outsiders, who demand to be expressed and validated in

This dynamic conception of identity is in opposition to the proposals to consider identity as a permanent and stable situation, which can’t evolve. The concept of identity proposed Hall steps away from the essentialist bias that considers identity to be something born of naturally formed unit, indicating the stable core of the self, from beginning to end, it unfolds unchanged through all vicissitudes of history, identical itself over time. For Hall then, identity is a set of predetermined qualities with a never-ending construction. For Garifunas then, identities arise from the narrative of self, how they represent themselves and they are represented. Hall, that identities are constructed within the discourse and not outside it. Garifuna identity needs to be understood as it is produced in historical sites and institutions specifically in discursive formations and specific practices, through specific declarative strategies. Garifuna identity is found in a field of struggle and conflict in which the force lines designed by the logic of the machine of society prevail. All identities are transformed in this struggle and therefore also involve transformations of all

There are always changes in the world outside and within society, but the role of music serves as a constant mode of unification for their culture. Music is a voice that declares pride, determination, and the inheritance for the Garifuna. The artistic expression is a form of cultural continuity from the past to the present and although it has been reinvented, like in the case of Punta that has evolved into Punta Rock, it continues to maintain the essential characteristics of their culture with the inclusion and usage of the drums and Garifuna language. For Garifunas their music reacts to changes and adapts to the changing world but still preserves the fundamental elements of art. Music also provides a way to communicate the stories and values that define the culture and expresses a strong sense of identity and