Can people change and choose their ethnicity by their own will?

[Peterski]

I edited my post above. What do you think about this adopted person's ethnicity?

Is it the ethnicity of adoptive parents, or the one that DNA test results revealed?

This person never learned about being adopted and still does not know about it.

[rein]

Just get an ethnic change surgery.

[MEDACHE]

sounds like an owd thread

[Magnolia]

An ethnic group, or an ethnicity, is a category of people who identify with each other based on similarities such as common ancestry, language, history, society, culture or nation.[1][2] Ethnicity is usually an inherited status based on the society in which one lives. Membership of an ethnic group tends to be defined by a shared cultural heritage, ancestry, origin myth, history, homeland, language or dialect, symbolic systems such as religion, mythology and ritual, cuisine, dressing style, art, and physical appearance.

Blood is blood it can't be changed, but one can be fully integrated, really love his "new home" and be a valid member of a society.

[LoLeL]

sounds like an owd thread

Nope. It happens in real world. Never heard of honorary citizenship/nationality?

[MEDACHE]

Nope. It happens in real world. Never heard of honorary citizenship/nationality?

? you can change your nationality but not your ethnicity... two different beasts

[TeutonicBoyars]

Franz Liszt, one of my favorite composers, was born to a German family in Hungary, yet he himself apparently strongly identified as Hungarian and his compositions were heavily influenced by Hungarian culture. If he considered himself Hungarian then I have no reason to argue.

[Bosniensis]

Language shift and cultural assimilation has created, wiped, and changed many ethnicities. But how about changing ethnicity by your own will?

Someone is ethnic A but he/she wants to be ethnic B. Is it acceptable or you think it's some kind of Wannabe? If ethnic B accept him/her, then is it OK?

Do you think ethnicity is permanent or it's something personal and people can change it?

People who belong to the same ethnic group traditionally can do that.

For example: Ukrainian can become Russian, Austrian can become German, or Swiss can become Austrian etc...

But Algerian can never become French... Mbape for example will never be French.

[TeutonicBoyars]

People who belong to the same ethnic group traditionally can do that.

For example: Ukrainian can become Russian, Austrian can become German, or Swiss can become Austrian etc...

But Algerian can never become French... Mbape for example will never be French.

I think it goes without saying that as it stands, it is beneficial (or rather, necessary) to physically look like the ethnic group you want to assimilate to in order to be fully accepted by said group. Where I live, it's common for Middle Easterners and Africans to get the "where are you REALLY from?" treatment whenever meeting someone new. It does make me wonder what genetic engineering will do in this regard.

[arkas]

If you can pass appearance-wise, culturally and linguistically than yes. I am sure I could fit into many Latin Amercian countries if I just learnt Spanish or Portugese and studied up on the culture, I am Eurasian.

EDIT: DNA will always tell you the real story though.