ETHNICITY & IDENTITY

ETHNICITY & IDENTITY

1. POLICE- SOCIAL IDENTITY

   • The McPherson report suggests that following the murder of Stephen Lawrence, parts of the police and criminal justice system were institutionally racist
     • This puts ethnic minority groups at a disadvantage in Britain as their identity in terms of ethnicity is likely to be stereotypically stigmatised in relation with crime and deviance
       • BECKER suggests that these labels attached by an authoritative figure become MASTER STATUS' resulting in self-fulling prophecies and ethnic minority subcultures
         • However in contemporary Britain this isn't the case as ethnicity is just one of many passive notions of fluid identity
           • Although in other contemporary societies such as Baltimore in America, institutional racism still exists and race is politicised as part of ethnic identity

2. SCHOOL- SOCIAL IDENTITY

   • OSLER AND STARKEY- DUAL DEFICIT
     • Ethnic minority children suffer from dual deficit, firstly as young people and then in terms of their ethnicity- They are seen as threatening to the norms and values of British society, thus more social control is imposed on them
   • SEWELL
     • Black Caribbean boys were in trouble because they were around more as white people played truant from school; however if black students did the same the police were more likely to stop them
       • Whilst teachers saw themselves as progressive and non-racist, Black Caribbean boys were particularly disadvantaged in school: They accounted for 85% of exclusions in one school despite making up 1/3 of the population
     • Ethnic minority groups create ANTI-SCHOOL SUBCULTURES as a protection mechanism and means of gaining status
       • Others distance themselves from their ethnicity for educational success; thus resulting in dual punishment from both teachers and peers who labelled them as 'battymen'
         • These children have combined pressures originating from different directions pushing them to educational failure
           • In terms of BRADLEY's levels of identity this could suggest that ethnic identity is passive for those who are part of ethnic minorities and want to achieve in school
   • FUNCTIONALIST DURKHEIM
     • In industrial societies there is ORGANIC SOLIDARITY in which institutions are needed to integrate individuals into the moral consensus of society
   • MAC AN GHAILL
     • Black caribbean boys tend to react angrily and reject white dominated instituions
     • Some teachers harbour prejudices on ethnicity suggesting schools are institutionally racist; Black caribbean boys were perceived as unruly and threatening
   • WRIGHT
     • Teacher's demonstrate little sensitivity to the cultures of these groups e.g. mispronouncing names
   • FULLER
     • Girls of the same ethnicity attempt to work within racist institutions to discourage/disprove negative stereotypes

3. MASS MEDIA- SOCIAL IDENTITY

   • STUART HALL
     • The mass media have scape goated ethnic minority groups in moral panics
     • Analysis of mugging shows Young black men were identified as a threat in media reporting of mugging in the 1920's
   • GOFFMAN
     • Stigmatised identity in relation with crime

4. PERSONAL IDENTITY

   • POSTMODERNIST MODOOD
     • HYBRID IDENTITIES- In comtemporary Britain, identity is fluid and people can create individual sophisticated identities combining many notions, such as ethnicity, nationality and religion e.g. White British
   • LEISURE
     • Unemployment however is still high in ethnic minority groups limiting leisure choice due to no income
     • Ethnicity is less significant in shaping identity as everyone shares access to the same symbolic cultural commodities
   • Often conflict between mainstream culture and inherited ethnic culture when shaping personal identity

5. FAMILY- SOCIAL IDENTITY

   • PLATT- THE JOSEPH ROWNTREE FOUNDATION
     • 70% OF Bangladeshi and over 50% of Pakistani children grow up in poverty- Whereas 20% of white people and 30% of Indians
   • DRIVER AND BALLARD
     • High achievement in some Asian families may be related to the presence of a close-knit extended family offering further support
   • BERNSTEIN- LINGUISTIC DEPRIVATION
     • Ethnic minority groups are limited to restricted code which puts them at a disadvantage in school where language is elaborate and formal
       • LABOV- CRITIC OF BERNSTEIN
         • When allowed to converse in language in which they were comfortable with, the children could express sophisticated ideas- Thus disadvantaged in school only when they are forced to use the dominant model of language

6. DEFINITION: THE CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGION, LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL TRADITION THAT ARE SHARED BY A GROUP OF PEOPLE WITH COMMON ANCESTRY- ARGUED TO INCLUDE RACE