Ethnicity entails a group of persons that identify well with one another on grounds of similarities like the share of a common ancestry, society, nation, culture and language. It is many at times a status that is inherited depending on the society that one lives or belongs to ( Jenkins 2008) . The membership of such a group is defined by the shared heritage of culture, myth of origin, history, ancestry and language as well as dialect or homeland. Bauman in his writing “Contesting Culture” proceeds to frame the various discourses on the identity present in Southall via a study of contexts that overlap one another.
According to Bauman (1996), the reification of culture entails the defining feature of what he himself terms as the dominant discourse on the community as well as identity. Bauman in his discourse speaks of Southall as being composed of five communities that were bounded in a neat way like the Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims together with the Whites and Afro-Caribbean people ( Jenkins 2008) . The dominant discourse in all the aforementioned communities were of the idea that there exists fixed boundaries that act to separate one from the other with distinct cultures that are ensconced within them in strict conformity and adherence. People within the dominant discourse consider their culture as being a heritage that ought and needs or even must be discovered, taught and seriously protected ( Jenkins 2008) . The enduring qualities that belong to the dominant discourses do not merely come from their character that is user-friendly but rather from the institutions like the media that propel them to a large extent and local governments, leaders of the community and political organizations that see to it that they are legitimized.
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The primordial theory of ethnicity ascribes identity or assigned status to ethnicity which is something that is inherited from ancestors. In regards to this theory, if a person has Chinese ancestors then the person is Chinese (Bauman 1996). The Primordial theory of ethnicity relates similarly with the ascriptions made by Bauman as the two come together to agree that an important corollary of the identity ascribed to a person, ethnic boundaries demarcate one that belongs to a certain ethnic group and one that is not fixed or immutable (Bauman 1996).
Lastly, Primordial aspect observes that the common ancestry of persons determines ethnicity. The above implies that people sharing common origins both biologically and culturally belong to the same ethnic group ( Jenkins 2008) . Primordialist characterizes such a school of thought as it stresses the role of the primordial factors like ties of culture, lineage all which determine ethnicity. Just like Bauman in his argument, Primordialist thought or view rather believes intently that ethnicity needs certain common origins like an ancestry or a common culture ( Jenkins 2008) . However, it is well to define and emphasize on the importance of such common grounds in ethnicity and as such the primordial view suggests to be providing answers that are affirmative to all arising questions. On the contrary the constructionist school differs with the observation in such a realistic and overt way.
The methodology employed by Rational Choice comprises of a systematic evaluation of options via which an analysis of numerous consequences of judgments are studied with such including rationality, assessment of value, aversion of risk and validity ( Smith 1996, Pg. 446) . Rational choice theory thus offers the method for assessing the making of decisions by use of an empirical evidence in order to understand the choice and revision hence rationalize all the made interferences and decisions. The perspectives of rational choice are strongly confounded and related with constructionism. This school does well to encompass a number of perspectives that place emphasis on different components ( Smith 1996, Pg. 446) . The rational choice theory does not appreciate or recognize the effect of cultural heritage and as such regard ethnicity as a phenomenon that emanates from the conditions of structure. The theory opines that all structural conditions that came about with the industrialization led to the formation of ethnicity. Such kinds of structural changes are what led to the formation together with the development of ethnic communities like Italians, Jews and Polish ( Manaças 2015) . According to this school, ethnicity comes about courtesy of the structural changes witnessed in a society.
On the other hand, some scholars have viewed ethnicity differently from primordialist school insisting that ethnicity is nothing but a strategic tool to help persons gain resources. The framework accords that people become an ethnic group and remain in that manner when their ethnicity produces significant returns to them as persons ( Rex 2010, Pg. 447) . Functional advantages that come from ethnicity vary from material and moral support that different ethnic networks provide to the political gains that come by through voting of ethnic bloc ( Manaças 2015) . As a social theory, the rational choice theory assumes that people tend to promote their positions in the socioeconomic by ensuring to minimize the costs of and maximize the probable benefits that come out of their actions ( Manaças 2015) . The theory argues that the ethnic affiliation depends greatly on the rational calculation of all costs and benefits that an ethnic association will have or gain rather.
Conclusion
Ethnicity is a great sociological aspect and concept that brings a good number of thoughts and beliefs too many. Scholars have tried in many ways to explain the concept of ethnicity without bias. Bauman gives a description of how ethnicity comes into place and in a similar manner that the schools of Rational Choice theory and Primordialist School provide the answers to the same questions. It is imperative to have a defining thing such as a culture or tool or ancestry for one to say they belong to a particular ethnic group.
References
Baumann, G., 1996. Contesting culture: Discourses of identity in multi-ethnic London (Vol. 100): Cambridge University Press.
Jenkins, R., 2008. Rethinking ethnicity : Sage.
Manaças, M.F.D.S., 2015. I Plano Municipal para a Integração dos Imigrantes de Lisboa (Doctoral dissertation).
Rex, J., 2010. The theory of race relation: a Weberian approach: Selected Studies in International Migration and Immigrant Incorporation , 1 , p.437.
Smith, A.D., 1996. Culture, community and territory: the politics of ethnicity and nationalism: International Affairs , 72 (3), pp.445-458.
