Final answer:
Ethnicity refers to a group's shared cultural practices and heritage, distinguishing it from race, which is a social construct. National origin and ethnicity may overlap but have distinct meanings, and ethnicity can result in complex individual identities. Ethnicity remains an important identifier in today's society for personal and institutional identification purposes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ethnicity is a quality assigned to specific groups of people historically connected by shared culture, which may include language, religion, and traditions. Unlike race, which is a social construct, ethnicity is tied to the cultural practices, norms, values, and belief systems of a group.
National origin and national heritage are sometimes conflated with ethnicity, but these refer to geographic and political associations rather than cultural ones. Minority groups are defined by their lack of power in society, not just by skin color or country of origin. It is important to understand that one nation can comprise a variety of ethnic groups, contributing to a complex and sometimes contradictory sense of identity.
Throughout history, ethnicity has played a critical role in forming national identities, shaping societies based on language, religion, or a shared sense of origin. In the United States, hyphenated terms like Chinese-American or Mexican-American often express this ethnic and national connection. However, not all individuals can identify their national ancestry, further complicating the perception of ethnicity.