Multinational state

A multinational state is a sovereign state which is viewed as comprising two or more nations. Such a state contrasts with a nation-state where a single nation comprises the bulk of the population. Depending on the definition of "nation" (which touches on ethnicity, language, and political identity), a multinational state might also be multicultural or multilingual.

Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States, Nigeria, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Spain, Canada, and China are viewed as present-day examples of multinational states, while Austria-Hungary, USSR, Japanese empire and Yugoslavia are examples of historical multinational states which have since split into a number of sovereign states. Some analysts have described the EU as multinational state or as a potential one.

Many attempts have been made to define what a multinational state is. One complicating factor is that it is possible for many of the people of what can be considered a "nation" to consider they have two different nationalities simultaneously. As Oliver Peel has noted,

Multiracial

Multiracial is defined as made up of or relating to people of many races.

Definitions

While defining race is controversial,race remains a commonly used term for categorization. Insofar as race is defined differently in different cultures, perceptions of multiraciality will naturally be subjective.

According to U.S. sociologist Troy Duster and ethicist Pilar Ossorio:

In the United States:

Related terms

In the English-speaking world, many terms for people of various multiracial backgrounds exist, some of which are pejorative or are no longer used. Mulato, zambo and mestizo are used in Spanish, mulato, caboclo, cafuzo, ainoko (from Japanese) and mestiço in Portuguese and mulâtre and métis in French for people of multiracial descent. These terms are also in certain contexts used in the English-speaking world. In Canada, the Métis are a recognized ethnic group of mixed European and First Nation descent, who have status in the law similar to that of First Nations.

Terms such as mulatto for people of partly African descent and mestizo for people of partly Native American descent are still used by English-speaking people of the western hemisphere, but mostly when referring to the past or to the demography of Latin America and its diasporic population. Half-breed is a historic term that referred to people of partial Native American ancestry; it is now considered pejorative and discouraged from use. Mestee, once widely used, is now used mostly for members of historically mixed-race groups, such as Louisiana Creoles, Melungeons, Redbones, Brass Ankles and Mayles. In South Africa, and much of English-speaking southern Africa, the term Coloured was used to describe a mixed-race person and also Asians not of African descent. While the term is socially accepted, it is becoming an outdated due to its association with the apartheid era.