Statistext

A statistext is a demographic category that is artificially contrived in pursuit of a political or ideological goal, particularly when categories are created that respondents would not otherwise apply to themselves.^[1] The term was created by Audrey Kobayashi, a Canadian geographer, in 1992.^{[1][non-primary source needed]}

Examples of use

An example of statistexts is the categorization in Canada of “non-Europeans” as "visible minorities", including those from Western Asia, South Asia, and Latin America.^[2] Another example of a statistext is the category "Canadian" as an ethnic choice on Canadian census forms.^[2] The geographer Harald Bauder has speculated that as an ethnic identity, respondents might choose this to voice patriotism, or to rebel against ethnic classification, or to voice an anti-separatist opinion, and furthermore, that the term has very different connotations in English versus French.^[2]n.5 These terms do not match the nomenclature such individuals would ordinarily apply to themselves, although sometimes statistexts gain acceptance among the people to whom the term is applied.^{[citation needed]}

In the United States, examples would be Hispanic and Latino Americans, Pacific Islander American and Asian American. The word "Indian", allegedly created by Christopher Columbus for the Indigenous people of the Americas may be considered as another example of a statistext.^[1]

Effects

The nomenclature of minority groups has a number of effects. Statistexts can empower some ethnic or linguistic minorities in some instances, while marginalizing and prejudicing them in others. Some may be demoralized by the nomenclature applied to them, as when a Canadian feels the government-imposed "visible minority" label highlights one’s "outsider" or "exotic" background.^[2] In other instances, nomenclature applied to a minority group may enable them to present a united front for political mobilization. Another problem is that these categories lump together distinct groups that might otherwise not perceive each other together in the same group.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Discrimination in Europe
• Employment equity (Canada)
• Ethnonym
• Hispanic-Latino naming dispute
• Orientalism
• Racial policy of Nazi Germany