Ethnicity and Minorities (1)

Ethnicity and Minorities in Britain (1)

Definition of keywords and concepts:

·         Race: A group of common origin with common genetic characteristics.

·         Racialism: Belief that race is important in determining human behaviour.

·         Racism: Self-identification with race and hostility to other races.

·         Ethnicity: Common consciousness of shared origins and traditions. Ethnic from ethos meaning tribe or nation

▶  Differences between ethnic minorities (EM) are cultural and not biological

▶ Ethnic identity is often linked to national, linguistic and religious identity though not in any consistent manner.

It tends to be concerned with ethnicity rather than race, since

▶ Most social science hypotheses are not racial even if we do use the term race casually to distinguish between people on the basis of colour.

▶ Whilst measurement of ethnicity is on the basis on self-identification, measurement of race is clearly problematic.

Coexistence of Ethnic Groups

Segregation

▶ Groups live apart, either by minority choice or majority imposition.

Assimilation

▶ Disappearance of cultural and other distinctions and restrictions of movement and marriage between ethnic groups

 ▶ Segregated Assimilation: Minorities may be assimilated, but not equally into all sections of society (Portes, Economic Sociology of Immigration, 1995)

 e.g. to middle-class or to under-class Integration

 ▶ Coexistence of different groups with different values with some degree of segregation but not complete assimilation.

 ▶ Integration maybe restricted to certain spheres (public/private)

▶ Multiculturalism: diversity of groups which are expected to remain culturally distinct and differences may even be supported by the state.

Ethnicity and Political Participation

 ▶ Ethnic minorities are less likely to participate in protest politics on average.

 ▶ This is partly due to these groups having less of the resources etc. that facilitate participation generally.

Political participation levels of minorities in Britain are slightly lower than those of Whites :  partly explained by registration rates (due to citizenship and temporary status).

Ethnicity and Vote Choice: Britain

 ▶ Minorities consistently vote around 80% Labour from 1974 to 2001.

▶ However, the Labour vote among ethnic minority dropped, especially among Pakistanis; probably due to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

▶ Also evidence of sensitivity of ethnic minorities to candidate ethnicity (e.g. Bradford in 1997).

Generational differences are important among minorities:

▶ First generation immigrants being less likely to vote but more Labour if they do than 2nd or 3^rd generation immigrants.

Ethnic Minority Candidates and MPs in Britain:

▶Increase in EM representation in 2010 due to Tories placing more candidates as part of a ‘modernisation’ drive.

▶EM still represent just 4% of House of Commons for over 8% of electors.