Ethnic Identities

Question 1

Paul Gilroy (1987)

Answer 1

Dazzling contributions black people have made to mainstream popular culture. No single Black culture but these are certain common themes that run through all Black cultures.

Question 2

Clare Alexander (1996)

Answer 2

Close study of Black youths. Found that constructing a black identity is an ‘art’ that needs a great deal of work and effort. Something about certain types of dress, music, walking and talking that makes you instantly recognizable as ‘Black’.

Question 3

Roger Hewitt (1996)

Answer 3

In a deprived working class area of London, whites felt a deep sense of unfairness because every culture is said to be celebrated except their own.

Question 4

Modood et al (1997)

Answer 4

Surveys including interviews with a sample of Caribbean and South Asian people in Birmingham and Southall. Cultural heritage continues to exercise as an influence on behavior and identities. Certain traditions are still important, but less so for the second generation - they are more likely to view marriage as an individual choice.

Question 5

Roger Ballard (1994)

Answer 5

Supposed conflict between Asian teenagers and their parents has been exaggerated. They simply switch codes - in their parents’ home they fit into Asian cultural expectations, but outside the home they blend into mainstream lifestyles. Few find great difficulty in handling the switching.

Question 6

Les Back (1996)

Answer 6

New Hybrid identities were emerging among young people. These young people are in a transitional stage where they have a great deal of freedom and opportunity to construct new identities. Their cultures are not fixed traditions, rather they try out new cultural ‘masks’.