In this chapter, Peck explores the terms ‘ethnicity’, ‘ethnic identity’ and ‘race’ and how they are theorized in contemporary literature. An overview of the literature surrounding ethnic identity and the historical understandings of students in relation to their socio-cultural identity is explored. Peck seeks to investigate how identity can influence historical understandings by highlighting the gaps in research. The two main gaps that were addressed in this chapter were the difficulty in addressing and quantifying ethnic identity, since it is not static and always in a state of flux, and the need for researchers to further explore the relationship between ethnic identities and historical understandings. In doing so, a deeper and richer understanding of historical significance of Canadians in relation to their ethnic identities will be gleaned. In turn, this will aid educators in having a firmer grasp on how students construct historical understandings. Peck conducted research with grade twelve students in British Columbia in order to address the gap between ethnic identity and historical understandings. The research showed that ethnic identity has implications on education and citizenship as well as historical understandings. It is important for teachers to be aware of and help to foster understanding in their students surrounding how ethnic identity can impact their understanding of history. This opens up many opportunities to explore why different groups of people have different ideas of what is historically significant.