ethnic cleansing The creation of an ethnically homogenous geo¬ graphic area through the elimination of unwanted ethnic groups by depor¬ tation, forcible displacement, or genocide. Ethnic cleansing also has involved attempts to remove physical vestiges of the targeted group in the territory through the destruction and desecration of monuments, cemeter¬ ies, and houses of worship. Although some critics of the term have claimed that ethnic cleansing is simply a form of genocide, defenders of the usage have noted that, whereas the murder of an ethnic, racial, or reli¬ gious group is the primary intention of a genocidal policy, the chief goal of ethnic cleansing is the establishment of homogenous lands, which may be achieved by any of a number of methods including genocide. The term was widely employed in the 1990s to describe the brutal treatment of Bosniacs (Bosnian Muslims), ethnic Serbs in the Krajina region of Croatia, and ethnic Albanians in the Serbian province of Kosovo during the conflicts that erupted in the wake of the disintegration of Yugoslavia.
ethnic group Social group or category of the population that, in a larger society, is set apart and bound together by common ties of language, nation¬ ality, or culture. Ethnic diversity, the legacy of political conquests and migrations, is one aspect of the social complexity found in most contem¬ porary societies. The nation-state has traditionally been uneasy with ethnic diversity, and nation-states have often attempted to eliminate or expel eth¬ nic groups. Most nations today practice some form of pluralism, which usu¬ ally rests on a combination of toleration, interdependence, and separatism. The concept of ethnicity is more important today than ever, as a result of the spread of doctrines of freedom, self-determination, and democracy. See also CULTURE CONTACT; ETHNIC CLEANSING; ETHNOCENTRISM; RACE; RACISM.
ethnocentrism Tendency to interpret or evaluate other cultures in terms of one’s own. Generally considered a human universal, it is evident in the widespread practice of labeling outsiders as “savages” or “barbar¬ ians” simply because their societies differ from those of the dominant cul¬ ture. Early anthropologists often reflected this tendency, as did Sir John Lubbock, who characterized all nonliterate peoples as being without reli¬ gion, and Lucien Levy-Bruhl, who found them to have a “prelogical men¬ tality” because their worldview was unlike that of western Europe. The opposite of ethnocentrism is cultural relativism, the understanding of cul¬ tural phenomena within the context in which they occur.
ethnography \eth-'na-gro-fe\ Descriptive study of a particular human society. Contemporary ethnography is based almost entirely on fieldwork. The ethnographer lives among the people who are the subject of study for a year or more, learning the local language and participating in everyday life while striving to maintain a degree of objective detachment. He or she usually cultivates close relationships with “informants” who can pro¬ vide specific information on aspects of cultural life. While detailed writ¬ ten notes are the mainstay of fieldwork, ethnographers may also use tape recorders, cameras, or video recorders. Contemporary ethnographies have both influenced and been influenced by literary theory. See also Bronislaw Malinowski; cultural anthropology.
ethnomusicology Scholarly study of music as an aspect of culture. Taking an anthropological approach (it was originally called “compara¬ tive musicology”), it has tended to focus on non-Western music, particu¬ larly music of oral traditions. The field’s origins lie in the late 19th century with the work of scholars such as Francois-Joseph Fetis (1784-1871) and Carl Stumpf (1848-1936). Much work was motivated by the search for musical universals, under the assumption that prehistory could be stud¬ ied through research into “primitive” cultures of the present. Recogniz¬ ing that traditional societies were quickly disappearing with the modern world’s encroachment, ethnomusicologists soon put their highest priority on collection (by field recording, using the new recording technology) and transcription (using newly devised pitch calibrations). A number of clas¬ sification schemes for comparative analysis of different musics have been proposed, but the natural focus remains on diversity.
ethology \e-'tha-l3-je\ Study of animal behaviour. It is a combination of laboratory and field science, with strong ties to other disciplines (e.g., neuroanatomy, ecology, evolution). Though many naturalists have studied aspects of animal behaviour through the centuries, the modern science of ethology is considered to have arisen as a discrete discipline with the work in the 1920s of Nikolaas Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz. Interested in the behavioral process rather than in a particular animal group, ethologists often study one type of behaviour (e.g., aggression) in various unrelated animals.
ethyl alcohol See ethanol
ethylene Simplest olefin (CH 2 CH 2 ), a colourless, flammable gas with a sweetish taste and odour. The petrochemical having the highest volume, it occurs in petroleum and natural gas but is usually produced by heating higher hydrocarbons (usually ethane and ethane-propane mixtures). Eth¬ ylene is polymerized to polyethylene either at high pressures and tempera¬ tures or by catalysis. It reacts with numerous other chemicals to produce ethanol, solvents, gasoline additives, antifreeze, detergents, and various plastics. In plants, ethylene is a hormone that inhibits growth and pro¬ motes leaf fall and fruit ripening.
ethylene glycol Ve-tho-.len-'gll-.koH Simplest member of the glycol family, also called 1,2-ethanediol (HOCH 2 CH 2 OH). It is a colourless, oily liquid with a mild odour and sweet taste. Widely used as an antifreeze in automobile cooling systems, it is also used in many other chemical pro¬ cesses. It and some of its derivatives are fairly toxic. Many dogs, cats, and wild animals are attracted by its sweetness and poisoned by drinking ethylene glycol antifreeze that has been carelessly discarded.
ethyne See acetylene
Etna, Mount Active volcano, eastern coast of Sicily, Italy. The highest active volcano in Europe, its elevation is more than 10,000 ft (3,200 m); its base has a circumference of about 93 mi (150 km). Mount Etna has repeatedly erupted over the centuries, most violently in 1669, when the lava flow destroyed villages on the lower slope and submerged part of the town of Catania. Activity was almost continuous in the decade following 1971, and in 1983 an eruption that lasted four months prompted authori¬ ties to explode dynamite in an attempt to divert lava flows. Mount Etna also experienced violent eruptions in 2001-02, prompting the Italian gov¬ ernment to declare a state of emergency.
Etobicoke \i-'to-b3-,kok\ Former city (pop., 2001: 338,117), southeast¬ ern Ontario, Canada. In 1998 it joined the cities of North York, Scarbor¬ ough, York, and Toronto and the borough of East York to become the City of Toronto. Etobicoke occupies an area of 48 sq mi (124 sq km); it was established in 1967 through the amalgamation of the township of Etobi¬ coke and several surrounding municipalities. Its name is derived from an Indian word meaning “place where the alders grow.”
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Eton \'e-ton\ College Largest public school (independent secondary school) in England and one of the most prestigious. It is located in Eton, Berkshire. It was founded by Henry VI in 1440-41, the same year he founded King’s College, Cambridge. By tradition, 24 scholarships are reserved at Cambridge for Etonians. Boys enter Eton at about age 13. Most come from England’s wealthiest families, though 70 scholarships are awarded on the basis of competitive examination.
Etosha \e-'to-sh9\ National Park National reserve, northern Namibia. Covering some 8,598 sq mi (22,269 sq km), it centres on the Eto¬ sha Pan, a vast expanse of salt with lone salt springs, used by animals as salt licks. It has one of the largest populations of big-game species in the world, including lions, elephants, rhinoceros, elands, zebras, and springbok.