Ethnic option is a term coined by sociologist Mary C. Waters to express her conception that ethnic identity of the descendants of white European immigrants is flexible, symbolic and voluntary, not a definitive aspect of their identity.^[1]^[2] Waters argues that with the achievement of middle-class suburban status, ethnicity becomes a lifestyle option, a costless form of community.^[3]

References

^ Omi, Michael (2000). "Racial Identity and the State". In Adams, Maurianne (ed.). Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. London: Routledge. pp. 78. ISBN 0-415-92633-5 – via Google Books.
^ Kleg, Milton (1993). Hate, Prejudice, and Racism. Albany: SUNY Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 0-7914-1535-X.
^ Hickman, Mary J. (2005). "Migration and Diaspora". In Cleary, Joseph N.; Connolly, Claire (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Modern Irish Culture. Cambridge University Press. p. 131. ISBN 0-521-82009-X.

v t e Ethnicity
Concepts	Clan Ethnic group Ethnographic group Ethnolinguistic group Ethnoreligious group Ethnonational group Ethnographic realism Hyphenated ethnicity Indigenous peoples Ingroups and outgroups Meta-ethnicity Metroethnicity Minority group Monoethnicity Nation Nationality Panethnicity Polyethnicity Population Race Symbolic ethnicity Tribe
Ethnology	Anthropology Ethnic studies Ethnoarchaeology Ethnobiology Ethnobotany Ethnomycology Ethnozoology Ethnoecology Ethnocinema Ethnogeology Ethnography Autoethnography Clinical Critical Cyber- Institutional Netnography Online Person-centered Salvage Transidioethnography Video Ethnohistory Ethnolinguistics Ethnology Ethnomathematics Ethnostatistics Ethnomedicine Ethnomethodology Ethnomuseology Ethnomusicology Ethnophilosophy Ethnopsychopharmacology Ethnopoetics Ethnoscience Ethnosemiotics Ethnotaxonomy
Groups by region	World Contemporary ethnic groups Countries by ethnic groups Africa Americas Indigenous Canada Greenland Mexico United States Central America Caribbean South America Asia Central Asia East Asia Northern Asia South Asia Southeast Asia West Asia Australia Aboriginal groups Torres Strait Islanders Europe Oceania Indigenous European
Identity and ethnogenesis	Cross-race effect Cultural assimilation Cultural identity Demonym Development Endonym Ethnarch Ethnic flag Ethnic option Ethnic origin Ethnic religion Ethnicity in census Ethnofiction Ethnonym Folk religion Historical Imagined community Kinship Legendary progenitor Lineage-bonded society Mythomoteur Mores Nation-building Nation state National language National myth Origin myth Pantribal sodality Statistext Tribal name Tribalism Detribalization Neo-Tribalism Urheimat White ethnic
Multiethnic society	Consociationalism Cultural appropriation Diaspora politics Dominant minority Ethnic democracy Ethnic enclave Ethnic interest group Ethnic majority Ethnic media Ethnic nationalism Ethnic pornography Ethnic theme park Ethnoburb Ethnocracy Ethnopluralism Ethnographic film Ethnographic village Indigenous rights Middleman minority Minority rights Model minority Model minority myth Multinational state
Ideology and ethnic conflict	Allophilia Ethnic bioweapon Ethnic cleansing Ethnic hatred Ethnic joke Ethnic party Ethnic penalty Ethnic slur Ethnic stereotype Ethnic violence Ethnocentrism Ethnocide Ethnosymbolism Indigenism Indigenization Separatist movements Xenocentrism Xenophilia Xenophobia

See also

References