Ordinary Language and External Validity : Specifying Concepts in the Study of Ethnicity

Do greater cultural differences between ethnic groups increase the probability of ethnic violence between them? Almost invariably, the questions of interest to social scientists are posed in terms of concepts rooted in ordinary language. In this case, for instance, an empirical inquiry would require a statement of the meaning of “cultural differences,” “ethnic group,” and “ethnic violence.” We argue against the common social scientific practice of merely stipulating definitions (e.g., “By ‘ethnic group,’ we mean ...). Instead, before jumping to stipulation, social scientists should analyze ordinary language usage in order to explicate the range of current meanings. Contrary to some interpretivist arguments against the possibility of cross-cultural analysis and generalization, this approach can facilitate quantitative studies addressing social scientific questions. We illustrate and defend these claims with ordinary language analyses of the meaning of “ethnic group,” “ethnic violence,” “dominant ethnic group,” and “cultural differences.” *This is a revised version of a paper presented at the 2000 Annual Meetings of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C., September 2000.