Identity-Ethnicity & Hybridity Flashcards
What is identity?
How you see yourself in relation to others and the roles you take on in society
What is the difference between ethnicity, nationality and race?
•Ethnicity=cultural characteristics that a person ascribes to and a certain group will share
•Race=social construct to classify humans based on physical/ biological characteristics e.g colour of skin
•Nationality=status of belonging/ having legal citizenship to a country
Name examples of characteristics an ethnic group may share
Religion, language, values, norms, traditions, clothing, history, customs, food
What is a hybrid identity?
Someone’s sense of who they are is a mixture of two or more cultures( very common for second/third generation immigrants who grow up in one culture but retain influences on identity from culture of origin)
What hybrid identities exist in modern Britain according to Johal and Nayak?
•Johal= ‘Brasians’- British and Asian or ‘Blasian’- Black and Asian
•Nayak= ‘white wannabees’- young, white British males who dress, act and speak in a way that is influenced by black hip-hop culture
What does Gilroy mean by the ‘black Atlantic identity’?
A shared identity, not rooted in country of origin but rather between young black people in the UK and USA whom have common experience of powerlessness and racism
What does Ghumann say about the upbringing of second/third generation Asians in the UK?
Tradition, religion and family values play important part in the upbringing of these Asian families- placing importance on loyalty, duty, hard work etc
What does Back and Brah say about cultural hybridity in the UK?
•Back= ‘neighbourhood nationalism’- young people of different ethnic backgrounds in same estate developed a shared identity, creating feeling of social solidarity and common identity w/ people from the same area
•Brah= young, British Asians are ‘cultural code switchers’- can adapt to the dominant culture and environment around them to fit in and be accepted i.e between home and school; more appropriate term than ‘hybrid’ as the idea of 2 cultures is misleading as neither white British culture nor Asian culture is clear cut and homogenous
What does Francis and Archer say about British-Chinese families?
They value education highly and place great emphasis on achieving high grades, closely monitoring progress and maintaining high expectations
What does Hewitt and Spencer say about the response to the increasingly diverse ethnic makeup of the UK?
•Hewitt=‘white backlash’ on multiculturalism- policies designed to achieve equality have been perceived as unfair by the white community; white, working class people under economic pressure react w/ anger to supposed ‘positive discrimination’ in favour of ethnic minorities
•Spencer=Eastern European migrants spent relatively little time socialising w/ British people- ‘they do not let you into their circles’
What is the difference between racism and institutional racism?
•Racism=prejudice, discrimination and antagonism by an individual or community against a person on basis of their membership of a particular racial/ ethnic group
•Institutional racism=discrimination and unequal treatment of a person on basis of their race/ethnicity arising from system, structures and expectations established in an institution
How does Cashmore & Troyna, James and Jacobson say ethnicity protect groups from racism?
•Cashmore & Troyna=ethnic minorities ‘turn inwards’ to seek support from own community, strengthening culture and religion
•James=unified culture from shared experience of racism between Africans and Caribbeans, resisting racism via supporting each other and celebrating their differences
•Jacobson=young Pakistanis adopting Islamic identity: diet, dress, practises etc giving them a sense of security and stability as a form of defence to marginalisation and racism
What do post modernists say about ethnic identities in the UK?
Globalised and media-saturated society allow there to be increased freedom and choice surrounding identity- meaning that ethnicity is becoming less clear cut and distinctive
