De-Ethnicization

While ethnicization  refers to the formation of social boundaries aiming to protect the integrity of (presumed) ethnic-cultural heritages, de-ethnicization refers to the `undoing' of such boundaries. De-ethnicization is the act or process of ceasing to be ethnic or depatronizing your culture and undoing the practices, rites, customs and other processes associated with it. It is believed that one major cause why this phenomenon occurred is globalization since people are now embracing modernization, enrolling to formal education and trying to embrace mobility and living the lifestyle of the city. They tend to deethnicze their culture; other factors associated which led people to deethicize are assimilation and acculturation, cultural and linguistic hegemony, social distance from your own culture and etc.

There have been many products throughout time that have been made for one ethnicity but have become popular in another ethnicity. This process is called De-Ethnicization and it’s the process that one product is made for one ethnicity but now appeals to another ethnicity.

One popular product that was made for one ethnicity but is now popular elsewhere is the ever-favorite pizza. The idea of pizza stemmed from Greece where they would put their preferred toppings on flatbreads.

This idea spread to Italy where they started putting the signature tomato sauce and cheese on it and called it pizza, thus the birth of one of the world’s favorite foods. The queen of Italy in 1889 requested a pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil on her pizza, which was the invention of the margarita pizza. Pizza quickly caught on in Italy and people would put all their favorite toppings on it. In 1905 pizza was introduced in New York in attempts to attract Italian immigrants. It didn’t catch on with the nation quickly though. It wasn’t until the late 1950’s that pizza restaurants started popping up all over.

Now, over 3 billion pizzas are sold every year in a $35 billion a year industry in the US alone. About 350 slices of pizza are sold every second, putting each American at about 46 slices of pizza a year. The number of pizzerias clocking in in the US alone is 69,000-to give you perspective there are only 35,000 McDonalds restaurants WORLDWIDE.

-Mare

Although the hamsa may derive from Islamic or pagan culture, today it has become a Jewish and Israeli symbol. In the Jewish culture, the hamsa is used to invoke the hand of God or to fight off the Evil Eye with the eye embedded in the palm of the hand. Other icons such as the Star of David have found their way into the hamsa, to symbolize prayers for the traveler, the blessing over the house, and the colors of red and blue, which are said to thwart the evil eye. Inside my house we have a hamsa hanging by the front door, so all who enters will be protected from the Evil Eye.

Celebrities such as Madonna, Jennifer Aniston, and Brittany Spears have brought the symbol to the public in the form of accessories. Today the hamsa is a common design featured on graphic t-shirts, or hanging from necklaces and bracelets worn by people who have no idea what it stand for. Similarly to the cross, the hamsa has been turned into a fashion trend adopted by the Western culture, even in companies such as Target, Saks Fifth Avenue and Brandy Melville. Today many people hang them in their houses, on their key chains and their rearview mirrors, and they are commonly found on necklaces, bracelets are earrings. Depending on who you ask the hamsa can be considered an important religious or cultural symbol to some or a fashion statement to others.

-Shani

One of the largest de-ethnicization holidays that America has taken over is Cinco de Mayo.

Originally celebrated for the Mexican militia over the French is 1862. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on May 5^th as a regional holiday in the Mexican state, Puebla primarily. Translated from Spanish the holiday’s initial name is El Día de la Batalla de Puebla interpreted as The Day of the Battle of Puebla. Lately, as a way to showcase the pride and honor of being a Mexican is through the merriment of this day. A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations like Los Angeles, Chicago and Huston. Beginning in California, 1860’s Mexican miners fired rifles, let off fireworks and sang song of their country this time of year.

In the 1980’s marketers, primarily beer crafters, exploited the symbolism of the holiday and promoted it into a popular and evolved celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. The United States has taken Cinco de Mayo and made it into a fun night of endless drinking as a salute to this holiday. Cinco de Mayo traditions include parades, mariachi music performances and street festivals in cities and towns across Mexico and the United States. Additionally main items of the night include tequila, salsa and refried beans.

-Mary

Bagels (also spelled beigel) the popular food that means bracelet in Germany, originated from Poland, which was the everyday bread of the Jews in Eastern Europe.

Traditionally, the bagel is shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked.  Because of their shape-‑with no beginning and no end‑‑bagels symbolize the eternal cycle of life. In the old days, they were supposed to be a protection against demons and evil spirits, warding off the evil eye and bringing good luck.  Bagels were associated with the Jewish culture but have become popular by all of society, and have even come out with different flavors to attract all types of consumers, not solely Jewish people.  It has become the most famous Jewish food in America and the American standard bread. The popularity of bagels is a mass-marketed today.  A few variations include jalapeño bagels, blueberry bagels, and even a green bagel for St. Patrick’s Day. 66 Bagels now account for 3 to 6 percent of all American breakfasts.

-KeAnna

Threading is a hair removal technique where technicians loop a piece of cotton thread, about the thickness of floss, twist the look into a series of knots, and move the twisted area rapidly back and forth across rows of hair in order to grab them at the root and removing them completely very quickly.

The exact origins of this hair removal technique are unknown, but it is said that threading originated in India, the Middle East and South Asia about 6,000 years ago. Threading was whidely practiced among Iranians, but was originally only done when women were getting married or on other special occasions. In ancient Persia, threading was a sign a girl had reached adulthood. It became very popular among middle easterners, and soon made its way to the western world where it is now practiced all over the United States. In Burbank alone, there are several places to go, including three shops in the Burbank Mall alone. What was once special overseas has become an everyday practice that almost all women are aware of.

-Chatty Charlie