Talk:Polyethnicity/Archive 1

Group Chat
Dana: Hey guys, just use this section to chat about small ideas and plans or research. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Danabodnar (talk • contribs) 17:43, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Hey. Go ahead and post your general idea, or what you plan to finalize as your information under any given category on this page. I began working on the Assimilation (or the arguments against it anyways...) so you can see what I mean. Feel free to edit it to make it sounds better / add your findings / whatever. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nec26 (talk • contribs) 18:30, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Dana: I'll be focusing on the political ramifications of polyethnicity. I'll use Lijphart's book Patterns of Democracy for most specific examples such as Belgium. I also plan to research further into this to other cases that aren't necessarily in democracies. Within the coming week, I'll try to post all my notes and findings on here before we come together again and double check, expand, and write the article itself. I also have notes on other topics from my readings in The Rising Tide of Cultural Pluralism which can be used elsewhere. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Danabodnar (talk • contribs) 18:40, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Alright. I put up a small excerpt under the assimilations topic. I feel like it's probably awkwardly worded, but I at least wanted to get something down. Look at it, read it. Reword it, if you like! I also went with a reference style... hope you all don't mind. I went to Dog and decided to follow their style, since it is a good article and a pretty basic one I figured the citing was a good one to model. So for books here is how we can site (it's pretty easy...)

Just change the information as needed, if there are no coauthors, just delete that line. Pretty easy. The ISBN can be found on Google Books just type in the name and look for the first ISBN number and fill it in the lines. Pretty nice, huh?

Lastly, this is pretty helpful. It's a cheat sheet for basic Wikipedia commands!

Gabby: Hey everyone, I will be taking care of Conceptual History. I have: Characteristics of an ethnicity are
 * 1) A collective name
 * 2) A common myth of descent
 * 3) A shared history
 * 4) A distinctive shared culture
 * 5) An association with a specific territory
 * 6) A sense of solidarity

5 Ways an enthnic group and ethnicity are conceptualized:
 * 1) An ethnic group and ethnicity are conceptualized as a relatively small one, sharing a common culture with and tracing its descent and kinship (constantly exposed to alien influences through migration).
 * 2) An ethnic group and ethnicity are viewed as self-defined based on subjective factors, which are chosen by members from their past history or present existing conditions.
 * 3) An ethnic group and ethnicity are viewed as an interest group competing for benefits from welfare states
 * 4) An ethnic group and ethnicity are considered as an identity-seeking instrument by the peoples of multi-racial and multicultural societies.
 * 5) An ethnic group and ethnicity are conceptualized as a device through which people seek a profound psychological unity, often based on common origin (sharing common blood).  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ges21 (talk • contribs) 00:17, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Gabby, what you posted is great! But it's more along the lines of the definition and conceptualization of ethnicity, and how an ethnicity is determined. All of what you posted is awesome, but unfortunately already outlined in Ethnic Group.

Conceptual history is the less tangible idea of when the concept (polyethnicity) was first developed within societies. That is to say, cultures began to recognize / become polyethnic during a specific time / era. That would be the conceptual history. You can look at the this for an example, actually.

Lastly, Piotr posted on my talk page and said that by November 2nd, he would like to see what we have actually posted on the Wikipedia article itself. I don't think this is a problem, and we're pretty much on pace. Once we get it up by November 2nd, then it's just extra edits we find (information wise) or suggestions others make as it undergoes the Good Article process.

Gabby: I found another book that goes more into the conceptual history because the rest of the last one didn't exactly help. The book is called Empire and Nation to 1750. Basically it talks about polyethnicity in normal societies and how it was exceptional in theory but rarely practiced right away. I'm just gonna type out all the stuff I have:

There are a few reasons why polyethnicity started (in 1750 as the book states). The first reason is that military success of some tribes helped push for polyethnicity because the tribes conquered others and incorporated them into their own. The newcomers started out as slaves and were considered very unequal, but gradually blended into the conquering community, which made a more heterozygous community. The next reason has to do with disease. Most places could not automatically replace their people and with such a shortage of people, they needed to import people from the countryside which became more and more distant. The new people kind of 'rubbed off' on the people who had lived in these disease-ridden areas, diluting the homogeneity. And lastly, trade played a very important role in developing polyethnicity. Traders set up protected areas where they could trade with others which led to the influence of other ethnicities. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.49.30.98 (talk) 20:26, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Sweet that's awesome! Before European Hegemony states a few earlier examples as well. I think it would be great if in the article we listed your example, as well as one or two from the book to highlight the "rarely practiced" beliefs of Polyethnicity. Before European Hegemony can, specifically, be used to highlight how disease (as well as some trade) was the cause of a lot of the polyethnic development, and then later in 1750, conquering and trade probably take a higher chunk of the numbers.

Use that for your reference line

Clara: Okay so I have no idea if I am doing any of this right, please tell me if I am messing up our discussion page. I just added a Nationalism section under Politics and Polyethnicity because that's what one of my entire books is about, and I did my best to summarize what was relevant to our page. I also found a couple other things in this book that may be useful, I'm just not sure how exactly: Did I do the reference line correctly? I think I followed Nick's instructions correctly, but I'm really not sure. I'm still working on my other book, should have something before we meet tomorrow. —Preceding unsigned comment added by ClaraKHeck (talk • contribs) 22:46, 27 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Although multinational states resisted nationalism at first, it works when cultural pluralism is accepted. Nationalism was adopted due to the fact that cultural identity was being sought. For example, the Russian Empire carried out Russification and the British influenced many Scots, Welsh, and Irish through Anglicisation.
 * It can also be argued however, that due to World War I, the polyethnic empires in Europe were broken, as well as those in Africa and Asia after World War II.

Nick: That's actually perfect Clara. Nice work! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nec26 (talk • contribs) 18:31, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

Nick: I've put up most of my information from Identity and Territorial Autonomy in Plural Societies. I still need to find a specific source saying Japan is homogeneous (or very low in polyethnicity anyways... I know it's fact I just need to find something to reference it within the article. --> If anyone knows, please tell!

We still have a lot of space in history to put up, specific examples from Before European Hegemony or The Age of Empire would work well to add just a few more ideas. That's one of those wonderful things that can just grow without us.. as long as we get it started. Anyways... I have a bit more to do tonight (I guess) on conceptual history.. I'm going to base point it off of Before European Hegemony because I can't find (or think of) earlier polyethnic occur ens / references before that time. I also still need a specific example where assimilation has occurred to a large degree in a culture/country. Does anyone have one?

Post your stuff up on the actual page soon! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nec26 (talk • contribs) 20:35, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: Hey guys, as we talked about at our last meeting where everyone was there the two books I got were not related to poly-ethnicity. In addition, we were told that we shouldn't each be doing our own section completely and we should be collaborating. I have looked into many articles online, and so I am going to go through and add things to other sections, as I did not get receive a section of my own to work on. Plus we learned all those cool new things about the library system today in intro to arts and sciences! I am putting them to work! Who did the main section on polyethnicity? because I found an additional definition... is my plan alright with everyone to go through and look for more references in online texts and articles? Jeh123 (talk) 23:03, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Dana: Justine, I like that idea. We need all the references that we can get. Also, Clara you said your book had a lot to do with politics. I'm putting together that article now but any information you have or things you can add feel free. Also since this is a collaborative work, we should all proofread and edit everyone else's work I think. Danabodnar (talk) 23:19, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Dana: By the way guys. So I can't quite figure out how to lay this out effectively since there it's hard to really explain the effect on politics without going into specifics so I looked at other articles to see how they did it. The article for ethnic group made a completely separate section for Ethnicity in Specific Countries. So I thought I should do that, but instead make this a subheading within the politics. Should I keep them together or make them two separate sections? Danabodnar (talk) 23:40, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Clara: The book I just read is a lot about politics but mostly in areas lacking polyethnicity. The section I added about nationalism is all that book was really good for, sorry I was so misleading. I'm working on a section about polyethnicity in Southeast Asia though so that's good! Also, this book is a selection of essays so I do I cite that? I have an editor and then the specific author for the essay I am working with. I'll be sure to read through everyone else's work and please do the same for me! —Preceding unsigned comment added by ClaraKHeck (talk • contribs) 23:44, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Clara: This is what I have on Southeast Asia, I guess it will be a section along with Spain, but I have no idea how to cite an essay that's in a book:

In Southeast Asia polyethnicity is certainly present due to the intertwining of people from both the great Chinese and Indian civilizations. Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam make up the mainland, and most of the people practice Thervada Buddhism. On the other hand Malaysia and Indonesia, mostly Muslim, and the Philippines, Singapore, and Brunei, mostly Christian, make up the insular part of Southeast Asia. This region has contributed quite a few aspects to the multiethnic state. Significant long-distance labor migration clearly took place during the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth which provided for different types of ethnic diversity. Indigenous ethnic relations arose from regional variations of cultural and linguistic groups, and immigrant minorities developed as well, especially the Chinese. Although there were significant political differences for minorities, they were still legitimate members of political communities, and even though this region is significantly polyethnic, there is a decent amount of unity throughout history, which strongly differs from both nearby East and South Asia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by ClaraKHeck (talk • contribs) 00:08, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: Clara, I would say look up mla format or ask a librarian for help, because I think you would have to site the specific essay not just the article in general. Ok for whoever did the section on america under politics and polyethnicity, I found alot of good sources for polyethnicity in america so i think we should have a big heading thats like Polyethnicity throughout the world, or something and then subheadings for the nations or areas we go into detail about. I will add what I have right now under the politics section just because it goes with the other information there, but what I am adding I dont believe really falls under politics... what do you guys think? Jeh123 (talk) 01:51, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: and do we want a section on problems associated with polyethnicity or should I put something under the arguments against polyethnicity?Jeh123 (talk) 01:53, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: how do we feel about adding a section possibly somewhere on Polyethnicity and Marriage??? thoughts?? Jeh123 (talk) 02:39, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Dana: Maybe we could just make an entire new section on Polyethnicity and Social or cultural Relations or something like that. In that we could talk about marriage so we could keep the section of Polyethnicity in Specific governments under the Politics header and move what you added to the USA there. Well...this depends on if there are more social dynamics we can discuss besides marriage. I don't really think it's important, a section on just marriage. Danabodnar (talk) 02:51, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: what if we change the polyethnicity throughout history section to polyethnicity in nations cause that kinda encompasses history too, then do a section on the united states under that? cause then i can talk about marriages within the context of the US because you are right dana, marriage alone isnt enough to have its own section...Jeh123 (talk) 03:24, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Clara: I have no idea what to do about the social aspect, I haven't read much about it, so I guess you two would know best. As far as citing my next book, will MLA format help at all if it's not in the right format for Wikipedia? I need to know how to format the citation for the page, like the thing Nick showed us except for an essay within a book. —Preceding unsigned comment added by ClaraKHeck (talk • contribs) 04:22, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: I just put it in there for now, we can always try to fit it in somewhere else when we go through and have all the sections and organization correct, and clara I say try looking at and see what that does for you... try to fit it as best as you can, we can ask piotr, or another wikipedia editor?? Jeh123 (talk) 04:40, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: and group....what is going on with pictures? because there has to be some in there? and good ideas? does anyone have a picture that fits a section?Jeh123 (talk) 04:45, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: My book Identity and Territorial Autonomy in Plural Societies was also largely based on scholarly essays. Just use the reference code I posted before. Change the author of the essay, but keep the book, publisher, etc. the same. Pages obviously differ based on where you are taking your information from. Only cite the name of the essay if you reference a specific passage from the essay. You can take a look at what I posted from Dennis L. Thomson under Arguments Against Polyethnicity to see what I mean.

I think Polyethnicity and Society could be another heading. Let's go ahead and do it. Put marriage and anything else you deem fitting under there. I think the military aspect can also go under social. It ultimately feeds into society, so military could be a subheading... How about that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nec26 (talk • contribs) 04:47, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: sounds great nick! oh remember mr group leader, dont you have to post to his talk page to look at our page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jeh123 (talk • contribs) 04:49, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Did I sense a hint of sarcasm? lol. Yeah, I'll post on his page... Uhh.

Who did conceptual history?

Nick: I'm going to got through now and rework some of the layout so the entire page is easier to follow. I've also removed the assimilation of polyethnicity (as I feel that between "polyethnicty and politics" and "polyethnicty and society" we will have assimilation covered. I also removed polyethnicty and ethnic identity, because that seems pretty well defined throughout the entirety of our article, and specifically in arguments against. If you have some research you want to add about ethnic identity, put it in where it fits best, or ask if you're not sure! We can always add the section back if necessary...

Justine: haha no i actually wasnt being sarcastic! i was just saying it! haha and ya when you went through it almost deleted all that i wrote because you changed the layout around what i was doing... kinda scary! so REMINDER EVERYONE save!! haha and sometimes if something happens it works to click the back button, luckily! and i kinda think politics and polyethnicity should switch to polyethnicity and politics since all the other ones are polyethnicity and.... unless we like that it mixes it up?Jeh123 (talk) 05:16, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Haha yeah, good point. I switched it! Anyways. Let me know if you think anymore big layout changes should be made/changed. We have full reign here to manipulate. Try to also work in your specific "section" instead of the entire page. That will help minimize (conflicting) edits at the same time! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nec26 (talk • contribs) 05:33, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Dana, did anything come of The Declaration of Human Rights? I've gone through and linked a lot of articles to articles within Wikipedia, as well as did my best to separate the references lines, so we can easily see them when editing pages... Nec26 (talk) 05:39, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: Nick what you did looks really good... but what is the point of the image of the plane?? was that you? cause I don't understand it! and I think I'm the one that's going to look at The declaration of human rights not dana Jeh123 (talk) 16:02, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Oh whoops. Yeah you! I put the plane up just to play around with images and see how it looks. I don't know what to put there! But I figure one would work there... Any ideas? Nec26 (talk) 16:48, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Awesome pic whoever that was! Good work! Sweet!! Nec26 (talk) 17:46, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Gabby: Hey guys, I have been reading some Before European Hegemony and looking through our notes and here is what I have:

In 2000 BCE, trade existed between Sumer and Indus Valley. In 100 CE, trade existed between the Roman Empire and Chinese Empire. Also, during 1550 CE, Europe started to connect with various parts of the World and it was the era of colonization. Polyethnic states were created through conquest which was present during trade (international trade resulted in contacts and migration).

In the seventh and eighth century, Islam unified many parts of the central region that lay between European and Chinese extremities. In the eleventh and twelfth century, many parts of the Old World began to become integrated into a system of exchange from which all benefitted. During the second half of the thirteenth century, many regions in the Old World came intro direct contact with each other. Between 1250 and 1350, the international trade economy was developing from Northwestern Europe to China. Over the course of the thirteenth century, there was remarkable cultural achievement, cultural maturity, economic integration, cultural efflorescence, technological and social innovations which produced surpluses, international trade, and a world economy with no single power. Lastly, during the fourteenth century, Europe and China contacted directly.

Disease also played a major role in polyethnicity because once a city was wiped out by disease, it could not re-grow without new immigrants. Slavery resulted in polyethnicity because they were imported from all over. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.212.32.86 (talk) 20:45, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Well, the trade in Indus Valley and Sumer and Roman Empire and Chinese Empire is definitely our conceptual history. If you can get me references on that I will write the section up... So I say we also mention Islam and the eleventh and twelfth century in history. When it was beginning again. Let's use the slavery, and disease portions in definitions (how polyethnicity occurs). And lastly the growing economy throughout the thirteenth century and China/Europe connection for throughout history. What do you think?

Do you have references for all that? It's really good stuff!Nec26 (talk) 21:20, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Dana: Hey guys, did you see Piotr's comments on our article thus far at the bottom of this discussion? I already went ahead and changed the headings as best as I could. Does he mean a picture like for polyethnicity in general at the top of our article? I'm thinking about it but having a lot of trouble coming up with a potential photograph so any thoughts? Also, we need a lot more for the 'lead' which is really simple after reading the prompt from Wikipedia that Piotr linked us to. Maybe if we just deleted the 'Defining polyethnicity' section and edited it to make it part of the lead. Or we could briefly outline our information and keep all the full sections.

Nick: I also went through and fixed a number of the formatting issues he mentioned (mainly citing locations) and I changed up the politics section a little. I was thinking Polyethnicty refers to the concept of multiple ethnicities that live in geographical regions (usually countries) or communities.

How about that?

Gabby I moved the 18th and 19th Century history to the proper section and reworded it a little. Whatcha think?Nec26 (talk) 22:52, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Okay, I did a lot! I'm gonna take a break for a little bit now... haha. I changed a lot of the history section, shaped up the conceptual history and added references when I could. Go ahead and read through it all, and if it seems like there is more we want to add / change / combine go ahead and do so. Whatever makes it seem more logical / look better is okay with me.

Gabby, I went ahead and added all your information in somewhere. In spots where we need a reference, I annotated the need for one. So if you could just go through and throw them in wherever, or let me know where each tidbit is from in the discussion here and I'll throw the references in. The only bit I didn't use was from the 15th century...

''Also, during 1550 CE, Europe started to connect with various parts of the World and it was the era of colonization. Polyethnic states were created through conquest which was present during trade (international trade resulted in contacts and migration).''

...I didn't really think it was enough to make another subheading for historical reference. But, it's up to you guys.

PLEASE let me know if something isn't make sense, or feel free to fix it. I tried my best, but I fear somewhere it won't make sense. Nec26 (talk) 23:47, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: Nick! you did amazing! I think maybe we should do what Dana suggested and make the definition section the lead and possibly add a bit just about the rest of the article. I think the lead is something that needs a lot of work right now, so I will read through leads and how to write them and I can get on that tomorrow if that's ok with everyone. I'll also look into the comment piotr made about some copyright picture thing?? I dont quite know what he meant but I'll read the article. also he said citations should be after the punctuation as well as one with EVERY sentence. also I think it might be a good idea to have multiple citations for different facts if we can find multiple, i think it makes the article more legit and then we'll be more likely to get good article status....what do you guys think?? Jeh123 (talk) 04:43, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Oh that's annoying. I read it as having to be before the punctuation and switched it all over. Rawr, FML. I'll switch it all back, I guess. I fail! Nec26 (talk) 05:55, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Woosh. I've done a lot. I went through and changed how we ref stuff (sorry guys, this is actually easier though!!) So every time you reference a fact (SHOULD BE EVERY SENTENCE), you just put This will automatically appear under notes. Then under references (at the very bottom) put the previous code we were using for referencing books. Leave out the page numbers. If the book is already listed there (ALL BOOKS PREVIOUSLY REFERENCES ARE ALREADY THERE) you're done, if not, just add the old cite code! Easy right?

Sooo, I added a ton of references. But those of you guys that added paragraphs of information, please go back and reference every sentence. It won't take much time... just use the short ref code and you're good to go.

Let's get this done guys.Nec26 (talk) 01:14, 9 November 2009 (UTC

Justine: hey guys, i wrote on piotrs talk page to figure out how to make columns in the notes section because it is kinda long, I tried looking it up, but i could not figure it out because of the way the notes section is arranged!Jeh123 (talk) 03:17, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: The page is really shaping up, we just have to get those last references done, the lead (which I know Justine has), and maybe the growth throughout history.

Don't forget we have a meeting Wednesday @ 1:00pm in the Posvar Einsteins'. Please come, this will be our final wiki meeting! :D Nec26 (talk) 16:54, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: hey guys, i'm like dying, i am really sick and getting worse, i'm sorry, I can barely stay awake, so i moved the definition section to the lead for now, and i'll add more later and also do my ref's for my section and finish it. Jeh123 (talk) 04:56, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Justine: any one know how to figure out how long our article is? cause the length of the lead depends on how long the text is.Jeh123 (talk) 19:50, 15 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Click the edit tab at the top of the page (not the one at the top of an individual section). If the article is 30 kb or longer, it will say that on top of the edit box. If the article is shorter than that, it won't say anything, in which case you should have a 1-2 paragraph lead. Cheers, Nikkimaria (talk) 21:18, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

Nick: Thanks for the help, Nikkimaria! I put up the article for GA Nomination today guys, so check back regularly and see what/if we can do anything to help expedite the process! Make changes the reviewer(s) suggest and we should be good. I hope... anyways! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nec26 (talk • contribs) 02:59, 16 November 2009 (UTC)

Gabby: So, since this class is coming to an end, I read back over our article! Is there anything we want to take away or add before we are done for the semester? Being that my finals are pretty much over, I've got some free time to do any last research! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.212.38.136 (talk) 04:31, 10 December 2009 (UTC)

Gabby
We gathered books when we went to the library on Monday that deal with our topic. I am reading the book, Citizenship, Nationality, and Ethnicity by T.K. Oommen. Each of us were assigned books that we have to read by this coming Monday and we are to highlight material in the books that we find relevant to our topic. We will all then meet and discuss the information we are going to put into our wiki page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ges21 (talk • contribs) 01:17, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Nick
I will be reading The Ethnostate by Wilmot Roberson, as well as Identity and Territorial Autonomy in Plural Societies which is edited by William Safran and Ramón Máiz. I am going to note, annotate, and document any information I find particularly relating to Polyethnicity and the topics that we have devised for our Wiki article.

The Ethnostate
After reading The Ethnostate (or rather, reading and briefly skimming), I have decided that the book is a little too bias (leaning heavily toward separatist ideals) to use as an accurate source on Polyethnicity. Perhaps, though, we can use this book under The Assimilation category, under maybe an argument against assimilation. I'll take notes as such, and see if we can work it in. I'll explain in greater detail at the meeting on Monday @ Einstein's, and then post here about what we ultimately decide as useful information / points to make in the Wiki article.

Clara
I will be reading from both James G Kellas's The Politics of Nationalism and Ethnicity and Calvin Goldscheider's Population, Ethnicity, and Nation-Building, and I will share my notes with the rest of the group on Monday. Monday we will be able to determine where to go from there. —Preceding unsigned comment added by ClaraKHeck (talk • contribs) 01:33, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Justine
I'll be reading, annotating and then sharing my notes with the group on monday, on two books. The two books are The Impact of Nationalism on the Muslim World which was edited by M. Ghayasuddin, and The Multinational Society edited by William F. Mackey and Albert Verdoodt. I will be trying to connect and see referenced to polyethnicity within the text and come ready to contribute to the wiki page. Jeh123 (talk) 03:43, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

The Multinational Society
After skimming The Multinational Society I do not know if it will be the best resource for our wikipedia page, it is peoples perspectives of problems, not actual scholarly material, I believe there might be too much bias. Although, I believe there are sources in it which could prove to be useful for our project such as theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nec26 (talk • contribs) 16:49, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Dana
I am currently in the process of reading The Rising Tide of Cultural Pluralism a compilation of essays, edited by Crawford Young. I will study ethnic identity and polarization, racism, nationalism, and cultural pluralism, in several different nations. Danabodnar (talk) 05:36, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

Empire and Nation to 1750 by McNeill
At the beginning of the course we touched on Polyethnicity in an essay by McNeill, particularly in the section titled Polyethnicity and National Unity in World History. I looked back over my notes and reread the essay and here is a compilation of information we could use and interesting subjects to expand on. Quebec: French and English together. Normal example of polyethnicity as opposed to unitary ethnicity. Marginality and pluralism are norms of civilized existence. All groups have absorbed other groups and cultures which makes a polyethnic structure. The idea of a monoethnic community came from Western Europe during the late Middle Ages. Took hold by the 18th century. The idea is still popular in ex-colonial Africa and Asia. There were also many nations and areas discussed such as Japan, China, the Mediterranean area, the Middle East, India, Germany, Italy, and the Low Countries. McNeill addresses their level of polyethnicity and what were the causes. We should discuss this at our next meeting.

Just as a later addition, in class Piotr defined polyethnicity as the "close proximity of people from different backgrounds." It coexists and is dependent on globalization which is regional economies, societies, and cultures becoming integrated on a global-spanning scale.

Causes of Ethnic Mixture and Pluralism
Large, densely populated areas such as cities which are breeding grounds for disease. The epidemics in cities led to the demand of a constant flow of people and food in from outside for sustainability. The underpopulation and famine led to the demand for a new work force which led to slavery, or in the case of Western Europe, serfdom. The slave population required reinforcement from afar and was always alien in a new setting.

During this era, homogeneity still prevailed in remote and/or barbarous lands.

Trade
The exchange of goods across cultural boundaries led to polyethnicity. Long distance merchants brought goods to one center and stayed temporarily or permanently which established foreign communities. This also caused the spread of religion.

Early draft review
Early draft review comments: You may wish to browse through User:AndyZ/Suggestions for further ideas. Thanks, Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus 22:31, 3 November 2009 (UTC)
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 * Each sentence should be referenced; currently there are unreferenced sections and paragraphs. Book references should cite page numbers. External links in references should be formated with more information than just a pure html link, see WP:CITE for more info.
 * Please ensure that the article has gone through a thorough copyediting so that it exemplifies some of Wikipedia's best work. See also User:Tony1/How to satisfy Criterion 1a.[?]

Further comments: the article is developing nicely, but there are certain issues you need to address (in addition to the manual of style issues I noted above). The "Role through history" section is interesting, but as it is, you should make sure that all sections clearly indicate what was the polyethnicity role through history. Are you sure this is the correct way to frame that section? For example: "In the first century, trade existed between the Roman Empire and the Chinese Empire. This would ultimately lead to polyethnic pockets forming, albeit small and limited". That's a good point (if in need of referencing and a little more expansion), but is this the "role of polyethnicity"? Those sections to me look more like they are describing "how polyethnic societies formed throughout history". And that, of course, requires an introduction as to why early societies were not polyethnic. You also need some logic: the above section has a chronological overview, but then suddenly sections on Spain and Southeast Asia... "Impact on politics" section should explain why it is focusing only on some countries. Same for "Impact on society". Why are only those examples selected? If they are used by some scholars as the best examples out there, say so and attribute it to them. The "Criticisms" section needs some careful edits; you need to make it clear whether you are criticizing a definition of polyethinicity or polyethnicity itself (or some variants / aspects of it). --Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus 18:07, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Using templates and makes it much easier
Hello all, impeccable work on the article so far, Kudos all round.

I would however give a few pointers on how to correctly CITE and how to use and this;, then whenever you want to ref page three you simply put in  and to ref page 21 use

Then we need to split the references section at the bottom in two: ==Notes== and ==References== in ==Notes== we'll stick the reflist template, and since it is a particularly large amount of references will split it into 4 columns by writing it like this: this will automatically list all the 's throughout the article and sort them into 4 even columns for us.

Under the ==References== We'll list each of the books like this:. That way when people see "Hopkins 2003, Page 3" listed under ==Notes== they'll know to look for it under ==References== for Hopkins name.

If you've done it all properly it should look like below.