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Recent literature on ethnicity has provided elaborate analyses of ethnic phenomena in a number of locations, such as Canada (Li, 1990) and the Pacific (Linnekin & Poyer, 1990), as well as developing conceptual frameworks which increase the understanding of social processes associated with ethnicity (Howard, 1990; Roosens, 1989).

Smith (1980) has identified several reasons why the salience of ethnic memberships and ethnic political agendas appear to be increasing. First, most countries in the world are plural, having populations that are composed of two or more ethnic groups. Only 28% of 132 countries surveyed in 1971 had populations in which a single ethnic group comprised 90% or more of the population (Smith, 1980, p. 9). Second, the rise of secular states and the conditions of modern urban life in many parts of the world have led to reduced opportunities for meaningful social identities. Ethnic …