Transcript Ethnic identity

Ethnic identity
What is an ethnic group?
‘Groups with their own cultures based on a
sense of shared origin’ (Haralambos et al)
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Examples of ethnic groups?
- Afro Caribbean, Indian, Bangladeshi,
Chinese, Pakistani etc.
- A shared cultural tradition does tend to create
common identities.
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History
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1950’s and 1960’s – Thousands of people
migrated from countries such as Jamaica, India,
Kenya and Pakistan.
Why?
Post second world war reconstruction – low
labour force/workers needed/instability/industrial
cities.
What did they bring with them?
Food, culture, language, skills, religion.
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Statistics
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=455
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HOW IS AN ETHNIC IDENTITY FORMED?
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The family
. Through nurturing your ideas, they clearly shape your early
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identity and through the food you eat, language spoken,
festivals celebrated etc an ethnic identity is created. An
article by Charlotte Butler focuses on the importance of the
family and religion in shaping the identities of young Muslim
women living in the UK.
Butler carried out 30 semi-structured interviews with
women aged between 18 and 30 years old. The women all
lived in Bradford and Coventry and were all secondgeneration Asian Muslim women. Butler’s research
illustrates how the family and religion both shaped these
women’s identities to some degree, although they were not
content to follow in their parent’s footsteps.
Afro-Caribbean identities
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Shaped by age and class.
Skin colour distinctive – racism not
eradicated.
Victims/survivors of racism.
Identities – dialect/speech, walk Alexander
(1996 – youths – symbolic markers of
being black). hair, music – reinforces distinct
culture.
Paul Gilroy (1987) No single black culture in
Britain but a theme runs through all black
groups – slavery, bitter experiences.
Asian identities
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Predominantly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh
– although many differences between these
groups.
Religion/place of worship
Marriage/family honour/role of women
Asian youth culture in Britain – Bennett (2001)
rising popularity of Bhangra – cross over
developments.
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Johal – Being Brasian – British Asian
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“The holding on to such doctrines can provide a kind
of 'empowerment through difference', but many
second-generation Asians also carefully negotiate
their associations with religion. Issues such as
choice of marriage partner, intraethnic marriage
and diet (the consumption of alcohol, meat etc.)
often lead to the adoption of a position of selective
cultural preference; a kind of 'codeswitching‘ in
which young Asians move between one cultural
form and another, depending on context and
whether overt 'British-ness' or pronounced
'Asianness‘ is most appropriate.”
White identities
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They are an ethnic group
Invisible culture? Roger Hewitt (1996)
deprived w/class London.
Every culture seemed to be celebrated
except their own.
Flag – associated with racism.
Need to find ways for White British people to
celebrate and be proud.
To conclude…
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Britain a multicultural society..
Many people will drift away but some will
remain.
Hybrid cultures?
Age/class play a significant part.
Changing ethnic identities
Read page 32 in your photocopied booklet and
answer these questions:
1. How are ethnic identities changing?
2. What does Modood’s study show?
3. Explain the debate about young Asians
being torn between two cultures.
4. What does Roger Ballard suggest?
5. What dod Mirza et al find?
6. Explain hybrid identities
7. Conclude ‘changing ethnic identities’.