ethnic theory Flashcards
Patterson - Functionalism (ethnic theory)
‘Host immigrant model’ states those who came over from other countries suffer racial discrimiation because of the culture clash and the British people are scared of other cultures. If they assimilated, there would be less problems and they would become ‘more British’. Example of assimilation is the British Citizen test having areas on British history and teaching British values in school.
Parsons - Functionalism (ethnic theory)
Inequalities are not a fault of the system itself. Ethnic inequalities are temporary until the immigrants join the value consensus and change the cultural differences. They are temporary and will disappear over time as the immigrant groups adapt and adopt the host culture. Assimilation - When a minority group gives up it’s own culture and values and becomes absorbed into the host culture.
Sewell - New Right (ethnic theory)
Suggests that black youths are more likely to be in single parent families. (lack of positive role models) Young black Afro Caribbean males follow the ‘hyper masculine’ role models often shown in rap music videos on MTV. This helps them to create a ‘Gangsta’ identity where they achieve status amongst their peer group for wearing the right designer clothes and trainers, through being aggressive and through not working hard at school.
Modood et al - Cultural (ethnic theory)
Language reduces employability. ⅗ of Bangladeshi women, ½ Pakistani women and ⅕ Pakistani and Bangladeshi men didn’t speak English. Pakistani women often have low economic activity due to cultural activities such as Purdah (seclusion of women) and Izzat (family honour). Muslim women prioritise the home and family.
Cox - Marxism (ethnic theory)
The exploitation of the workforce globally due to the manipulation of the idea that white are superior, it allowed workers to ask for less pay and capitalism to continue. (Cause and effect).
There is a distinct relationship between capitalism and racism. Racism would not have developed if capitalism did not exist. ‘If capitalism had not developed then the world may never have experienced racial prejudice.’ Slavery justified racism and was key to the growth of capitalism.
Castles and Kosack - Marxism (ethnic theory)
Immigrants are part of the ‘reserve army of labour’, this is encouraged to legitimise (justify) the lower pay, to divide and rule where working classes fight each other rather than the ruling class and to scapegoat ethnic minorities on government caused social issues.
Lawrence - Neo-Marxism (ethnic theory)
Conservatives made the ‘British nation’ and blamed high levels of unemployment and economic stability on immigrants. The culture clash was also a negative downfall.
New Racism came about in the 1970s and 1980s for three reasons:
- The ruling class created and reinforced new ideologies around the ideas of the ‘British nation’, ‘British peoples’ and British Culture’.
- There was high unemployment and economic instability and immigrants came to be viewed as the source of the problem.
- The different cultures of the immigrant groups were viewed in a negative way as a threat to British society which was suffering high crime rates and a breaking down of traditional family values.
Hall - Neo-Marxism (ethnic theory)
In the 1970s, immigrants were scapegoated as a problem and their culture was seen as creating problems and divisions. A desire from the government to divert attention away from the economic recession facing the government of the day.
Brewer - Black Feminism (ethnic theory)
“Triple systems theory”. Black women suffer from disadvantage because they are black, because they are women and because they are working class. However their problems are more than a sum of their parts, each of these inequalities reinforces and multiplies the other inequalities. This shapes their lives and restricts the life chances of black women.
Rex and Tomlinson - Weberian (ethnic theory)
Class - ‘Black underclass’ has emerged. This group sits below the white working class and face a disadvantage in labour market, income, housing and education (facing a concrete ceiling).
Barron and Norris - Weberian (ethnic theory)
Status - The Primary labour market often contains mainly white groups who get stable, consistent jobs whereas Black and minority groups are often in the Secondary labour market, especially if they are migrant workers.
Primary labour market = high pay, high status, job security, good working conditions and favourable promotion prospects.
Secondary labour market = lower paid jobs with less security, inferior working conditions and few opportunities for promotion.
Burdsey - Postmodernism (ethnic theory)
Hybridity - Code switching- studied second and third generation British asian footballers, through an ethnography in the Uk; they adopted an traditional asian identity with parents but a white ‘laddish’ identity with peers. They wear different cultural masks.
