Ethnicity

• Ethnicity


  We all have an ethnic identity

  We tend to identify certain ethnic groups by their shared characteristics.

  Person identities w/ an ethic group & its beliefs and values
• Generational migrants


  2nd -, 3rd- & 4th- generation migrants & those of mixed race will also have a range of cultural characteristics that make their ethnic identity more complex.
• Ghumann


  Traditional religion & family values played an important part in the upbringing of 2nd-generation Asians in the UK, & that Asian children tend to be socialised into the extended family, with the emphasis on duty, loyalty, honour & religious commitment.
• Gilroy


  Argues for the use of them 'Black Atlantic' to describe an identity that was not specifically rooted in the UK/their country of origin & was shared with young black people in the US.

  Argued the shared experience of racism & powerlessness can be transcend differences in background & history to create a 'black' identity.
• Hewitt


  Considers the white 'backlash' against multiculturalism. Policies designed to achieve equality have been perceived as unfair to the white community, and a white working-class person under pressure economically has often reacted with anger at perceived 'positive discrimination' in favour of ethnic minorities feeling the need to defend their ethnic identity.
• Spencer et al


  Suggests that Eastern European migrants spent relatively little time socialising with with British people. One Ukrainian waitress in the study commented that "they don't let you into their circles"
• Cashmore & Troyna - resistance or hybridity


  Argued there will a tendency for ethnic minorities to 'turn inwards', to seek support from within their own ethnic community as a response to the racism they experience.

  Strengths their ethnic identity
• Jacobson - resistance or hybridity


  Argues many young muslims are adopting a strong Islamic identity as a response to social exclusion from white British society.

  She found young British Muslim identity gives them a sense of stability & security.
• Hybridity


  Ethnic identities may be becoming more hybrid, as those from ethnic minorities & those of white British origin are all influenced by each other's cultures & by the media.
• Modood - changing ethnic identites


  Found that 2nd-generation ethnic minorities from both African-Caribbean & Asian backgrounds felt much more British than their parents, while their ethnicity was still a key part of their identity
• Postmodernists


  Argue in a globalised & media-saturated society such as the contemporary UK, identity is all about choice - everyone can create their own identity, & hybridity means that ethnicity is becoming less clear-cut & less significantHowever some argue that race and ethnicity are still sources of discrimination and hugely affect identity