Ethnic Identity and Cultural Elements: Students' Views

Abstract

Ethnic identity, as a symbolic construction, is structured through a complex and multi-faceted process, which is in constant evolution. From childhood to adolescence ethnic identity is shaped by experiences and representations, whereas the importance that children give in ethnic identity is growing year by year. The purpose of this paper is to explore the aspects of Greek students’ ethnic identity in compulsory education and their association with the feeling of origin and the preservation of cultural elements. The sample is composed of 327 students in Chios island. In conclusion, an ambivalence emerges in the formation of ethnic identity, which highlights the acculturational osmosis of the islands in the North Aegean Sea, in an era of ' fluidity ' and social interdependencies that spread from local to global environment.