Ethnic identity

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Ethnic identity
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• What is an ethnic group?
• Groups with their own cultures based on a
• sense of shared origin (Haralambos et al)
• 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

• 1950s and 1960s 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?id455

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• HOW IS AN ETHNIC IDENTITY FORMED?
• The family
• . Through nurturing your ideas, they clearly
  shape your early 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 second-generation Asian Muslim women.
  Butlers research illustrates how the family and
  religion both shaped these womens identities to
  some degree, although they were not content to
  follow in their parents footsteps.

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Afro-Caribbean identities

• 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.

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Asian identities

• 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
• 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.

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White identities

• 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.

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To conclude

• Britain a multicultural society..
• Many people will drift away but some will remain.
  
• Hybrid cultures?
• Age/class play a significant part.

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Changing ethnic identities

• Read page 32 in your photocopied booklet and
• answer these questions
• How are ethnic identities changing?
• What does Modoods study show?
• Explain the debate about young Asians being torn
  between two cultures.
• What does Roger Ballard suggest?
• What dod Mirza et al find?
• Explain hybrid identities
• Conclude changing ethnic identities.