functionalist

• Patterson – host immigrant model

  Her theory described Britain as a stable society with shared norms and values, disrupted in the 1950s by the arrival of immigrants with different cultural practices. This culture clash, exemplified by differences between West Indians (perceived as noisy and not queuing) and the host community (valuing privacy and quiet), stemmed from the hosts' fears and uncertainties about interaction, rather than racism.
• Patterson suggested that there were three causes of ethnic inequality.

  1. The hosts fear of cultural differences and societal change
  2. The host culture’s resentment over competition for resources like jobs and housing
  3. The failure of immigrants to assimilate i.e. to become totally ‘British’ and integrate. She suggested that cultural strangeness from ethnic minorities could provoke hostility from the host community due to anxiety.
• Roberts – Asians benefited from strong entrepreneurial traditions, leading to successful ethnic businesses. On the other hand, African-Caribbean cultures were weakened due to colonialism and slavery, with some arguing there is an "anti-enterprise" attitude in these communities.
• Cashmore reports that successful black entrepreneurs are often treated with suspicion in Britain (e.g. the black community may accuse them of ‘selling out’ or adopting ‘white’ values).
• Sewell has attacked the widely held belief that you can only be an 'authentic' black person if you are 'street wise'. This attitude discourages young black men (but not so much women) from studying hard and developing careers or businesses.