Religion may be a starting point to examine issues of ethnic identity formation and the construction of ethnic identity Geographers studying the negotiations of religious identity within various communities are often concerned with the overt articulation of religious identity, for example, how adherents in different locations establish their distinctive (religious and cultural) identities through their own understandings of the religion, and how they externally present their religious adherence (in terms of religious practice, ritual and behaviour).
Religion might serve as a starting point to explore issues related to ethnic identity formation and the creation of ethnic identity. Geographers investigating religious identity within different communities frequently focus on the explicit expression of religious identity, such as how adherents in various locations define their unique (religious and cultural) identities based on their own interpretations of the religion, and how they publicly demonstrate their religious beliefs (through religious practices, rituals, and behaviors).