I did not realise that so many people with English ancestry resided in the US. You tend to hear more about Irish, Italian, Scandinavian and Scottish ancestry more. I thought the Irish contingent would be much bigger, but perhaps the Irish diaspora identifies stronger and more vocally with its roots. I am not sure if there are similar maps for people of Asian and African ancestry. Putting it all on one map would be really complicated I guess.
How one views ancestry is quite complicated. I had a German mother and Irish father, and have lived in Sweden for 26 years. I will always only identify as South African though, because that is where I was born and spent my formative years. This in itself is complicated because if you are white, Africa considers you European. Europe, however, very definitely does not. And Afrikaners in South Africa never consider themselves Dutch. Another aspect for how strongly you feel about your heritage could be the reason you left your homeland. Or where you live. If you live in a community surrounded by people from the motherland it must be easier to keep the culture alive. I live a pretty Swedish way of life, mainly because I came here alone and have met very few South Africans in my time here. My family here is Swedish.
I am always confused though as to why British people who have lived in other countries for decades continue to call themselves expats rather than immigrants. I always thought that expat was used for a more temporary stay in a country – perhaps for work. Anyone have any thoughts?
In the 2020 U.S. census there was a subcategory under race to identify ethnicity, if known, so that list is of American citizens who believe they originate from those ethnic groups. Most white Americans can be traced back to 1600s England, and individual DNA typically reveals a melting pot of northwestern Europe.
I’m surprised that Sweden isn’t represented on that list. There are counties around the Midwest that were founded by Swedes and still celebrate their traditions, cuisine…
I completely understand. I think there was a meme about Elon Musk who is both South African and American and they call him African American… I am European and I couldn’t be more European if I tried. I lived 8 years in Spain, 14 in France, almost 7 in England and I’ve been living in Germany for 17 almost 18 years. I have dual nationality French and Spanish. French people don’t consider me French and Spanish people don’t consider me Spanish. I definitely don’t consider myself as German and I cannot claim to be English (although I could have applied for British citizenship and obtained it too). It’s hard for me to say what I feel like: French or Spanish. If you hear me speak, I have a French accent (no matter what language I speak). But, even though I did all my studies in France, I equally feel Spanish and French. It’s not easy at all and if race comes into play, it makes things even more difficult!…
I’ve seen Nelson Mandela described as African-American too!
Janet, like you I thought expat was a term for someone who was living temporarily in another country and I couldn’t understand why English people called themselves expats after 20 years in another country. Then I found out that they refused to eat the local cuisine and drink the local beverages, importing beer, potatoes and even fish and beef from the UK.