Ask Difference

Ethnicity vs. Culture — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on September 11, 2023
Ethnicity refers to the shared genetic, historical, and geographical traits of a specific group of people. Culture encompasses the beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior of a group, which can transcend ethnic boundaries.
Ethnicity vs. Culture — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Ethnicity and Culture

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Key Differences

Ethnicity and culture are two terms often used interchangeably, but they are fundamentally different. Ethnicity is primarily concerned with a group’s shared genetic background, history, and sometimes language and religion. It serves as a sort of collective fingerprint that can identify a person as belonging to a particular group. Culture, on the other hand, is a broader term that includes practices, beliefs, values, norms, and material expressions that can be shared across different ethnicities.
Ethnicity often forms the basis for the development of culture within a particular community. For instance, a specific ethnicity may have its own set of rituals, music, and culinary traditions, which then becomes part of that group’s culture. However, culture is not confined to ethnicity. People from different ethnic backgrounds can share a common culture, or individuals from the same ethnic group can belong to different cultures.
Culture is more fluid and adaptable than ethnicity. While ethnic traits are usually passed down through genetic lineage and historical ties, culture is often learned and acquired. A person can change their cultural practices, learn new cultural norms, and even fully integrate into a culture different from the one they were born into. Ethnicity, in contrast, remains a more fixed attribute, anchored in biological and historical factors.
In practical terms, ethnicity often plays a more significant role in structured social systems, like the census or racial profiling. Culture is more commonly examined in social science research, artistic expressions, and individual social dynamics. While ethnicity can be a point of division or categorization, culture serves as a tool for individuals to understand, interpret, and engage with the world around them.

Comparison Chart

Definition

Shared genetic, historical traits
Shared beliefs, customs, practices
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Basis

Biological, historical
Learned, acquired

Fluidity

Generally fixed
Adaptable and changeable

Scope

Specific to a group
Can transcend ethnic boundaries

Practical Use

Census, racial profiling
Social science research, artistic expressions

Compare with Definitions

Ethnicity

Ethnicity can include shared language and religion.
People of Jewish ethnicity often speak Hebrew.

Culture

Culture includes beliefs and value systems.
Respect for elders is important in her culture.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity involves shared history and traditions.
Her ethnicity has a rich history of storytelling.

Culture

Culture can be shared across different ethnicities.
Hip-hop culture transcends ethnic boundaries.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity is often tied to a specific geographical region.
His ethnicity traces back to a small village in Asia.

Culture

Culture involves social practices and norms.
In American culture, tipping is customary.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity may be a factor in societal categorizations.
Ethnicity can sometimes affect job opportunities.

Culture

Culture can include artistic and intellectual works.
Renaissance culture produced many great artworks.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity refers to a person's genetic heritage.
His ethnicity is Italian.

Culture

Culture is learned and acquired over time.
He was immersed in French culture during his year abroad.

Ethnicity

Ethnic character, background, or affiliation.

Culture

Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Humans acquire culture through the learning processes of enculturation and socialization, which is shown by the diversity of cultures across societies. A cultural norm codifies acceptable conduct in society; it serves as a guideline for behavior, dress, language, and demeanor in a situation, which serves as a template for expectations in a social group.

Ethnicity

An ethnic group.

Culture

The arts, beliefs, customs, institutions, and other products of human work and thought considered as a unit, especially with regard to a particular time or social group
Edwardian culture.
Japanese culture.

Ethnicity

The common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language or national experiences.

Culture

These arts, beliefs, and other products considered with respect to a particular subject or mode of expression
Musical culture.
Oral culture.

Ethnicity

An ethnic group.

Culture

The set of predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize a group or organization
A manager who changed the corporate culture.

Ethnicity

Race; common ancestry.

Culture

Mental refinement and sophisticated taste resulting from the appreciation of the arts and sciences
A woman of great culture.

Ethnicity

An ethnic quality or affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties;
Ethnicity has a strong influence on community status relations

Culture

Special training and development
Voice culture for singers and actors.

Culture

The cultivation of soil; tillage
The culture of the soil.

Culture

The breeding or cultivation of animals or plants for food, the improvement of stock, or other purposes.

Culture

The growing of microorganisms, tissue cells, or other living matter in a specially prepared nutrient medium.

Culture

Such a growth or colony, as of bacteria.

Culture

To cultivate (soil or plants).

Culture

To grow (microorganisms or other living matter) in a specially prepared nutrient medium.

Culture

To use (a substance) as a medium for culture
Culture milk.

Culture

The arts, customs, lifestyles, background, and habits that characterize humankind, or a particular society or nation.

Culture

The beliefs, values, behaviour and material objects that constitute a people's way of life.

Culture

The conventional conducts and ideologies of a community; the system comprising the accepted norms and values of a society.

Culture

(anthropology) Any knowledge passed from one generation to the next, not necessarily with respect to human beings.

Culture

(botany) Cultivation.

Culture

(microbiology) The process of growing a bacterial or other biological entity in an artificial medium.

Culture

The growth thus produced.
I'm headed to the lab to make sure my cell culture hasn't died.

Culture

A group of bacteria.

Culture

(cartography) The details on a map that do not represent natural features of the area delineated, such as names and the symbols for towns, roads, meridians, and parallels.

Culture

(archaeology) A recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place that may constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society.

Culture

(euphemism) Ethnicity, race (and its associated arts, customs, etc.)

Culture

(transitive) to maintain in an environment suitable for growth especially of bacteria cultivate}}

Culture

(transitive) to increase the artistic or scientific interest in something cultivate}}

Culture

The act or practice of cultivating, or of preparing the earth for seed and raising crops by tillage; as, the culture of the soil.

Culture

The act of, or any labor or means employed for, training, disciplining, or refining the moral and intellectual nature of man; as, the culture of the mind.
If vain our toilWe ought to blame the culture, not the soil.

Culture

The state of being cultivated; result of cultivation; physical improvement; enlightenment and discipline acquired by mental and moral training; civilization; refinement in manners and taste.
What the Greeks expressed by their paidei`a, the Romans by their humanitas, we less happily try to express by the more artificial word culture.
The list of all the items of the general life of a people represents that whole which we call its culture.

Culture

The cultivation of bacteria or other organisms (such as fungi or eukaryotic cells from mulitcellular organisms) in artificial media or under artificial conditions.

Culture

Those details of a map, collectively, which do not represent natural features of the area delineated, as names and the symbols for towns, roads, houses, bridges, meridians, and parallels.

Culture

To cultivate; to educate.
They came . . . into places well inhabited and cultured.

Culture

A particular society at a particular time and place;
Early Mayan civilization

Culture

The tastes in art and manners that are favored by a social group

Culture

All the knowledge and values shared by a society

Culture

(biology) the growing of microorganisms in a nutrient medium (such as gelatin or agar);
The culture of cells in a Petri dish

Culture

(bacteriology) the product of cultivating micro-organisms in a nutrient medium

Culture

A highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality;
They performed with great polish
I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose
Almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art

Culture

The attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization;
The developing drug culture
The reason that the agency is doomed to inaction has something to do with the FBI culture

Culture

The raising of plants or animals;
The culture of oysters

Common Curiosities

What is Ethnicity?

Ethnicity refers to shared genetic, historical, and geographical traits of a group.

Is Ethnicity changeable?

Generally, no. It is based on biological and historical factors.

Are Ethnicity and Culture the same?

No, ethnicity is about genetic heritage, while culture is about shared practices and beliefs.

What is Culture?

Culture is the set of shared beliefs, practices, and social norms of a group.

Is Ethnicity broader than Culture?

No, culture has a broader scope as it can include multiple ethnicities.

Can different Ethnicities share a Culture?

Yes, culture can transcend ethnic boundaries.

Is Culture changeable?

Yes, culture is adaptable and can be learned.

Is Ethnicity only about race?

No, it also includes elements like shared history and geography.

Can Culture include language?

Yes, language is often a part of culture.

How is Culture identified?

Through beliefs, practices, and social norms.

How is Ethnicity identified?

Through genetic markers, history, and sometimes language and religion.

Do all people of the same Ethnicity share a Culture?

Not necessarily; individuals from the same ethnicity can belong to different cultures.

Is Ethnicity a choice?

No, it is generally a fixed attribute.

Is Culture a choice?

To some extent, yes, since it can be learned and changed.

Can Ethnicity influence Culture?

Yes, ethnicity often forms the basis of cultural practices and norms.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.

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