A Theory of Social Categories

The study of ethnicity, race and nationalism lacks theoretical cohesion because its three central constructs are tied to the circumstances of time and geographical space; they are culture-bound. Their limitations can be reduced if they are seen as three items in a larger set of social categories. A synthesis of existing knowledge is presented in the form of 16 propositions about the genesis of social categories, both physical and cultural, and the significance attributed to them. Changes in the significance of social categories are illustrated by reference to recent immigration into the United Kingdom from outside Europe. The study of ethnicity, race and nationalism might be better integrated were future sociological research to investigate the circumstances in which behaviour is structured by social categorization and when it is not. To be culture-free, that research will have to uncover determinants that underlie the consciousness of the individuals involved.