Marxism - ethnicity Flashcards
What is Cox saying
Racism has origins in development of capitalism
- Early capitalism hand in hand with colonialism
As European nations conquered other areas of world
* exploitation of workforce was justified through racism
* claiming White Europeans superior to other races
Racism cannot be developed by those who are exploited
* racism developed by exploiters against exploited
Racism a means of systematic exploitation of labour because capitalism
Cox says if capitalism was never invented then racism wouldve never been invented either
What’s Castles & Kosack saying (1)
Most immigrants concentrated in low skilled & low paid manual jobs
- Britain’s treatment of immigrants derive from Reserve Army of Labour theory [surplus labour power]
After WWII RAoL of women ran out
thus immigrants were used
- Immigrant arrival led to WC being divided into 2 groups
What’s the Reserve Army of Labour
Refers to the unemployed and underemployed in capitalist society
They exist because:
* Keep wage costs down
* Existing workers have weaker bargaining position
Capitalist economies are inherently unstable
RAoL needed since fortunes of economy fluctuate
What’s Castles & Kosack saying (2)
How does using immigrants as a RAoL benefit capitalism/RC
Divide-and-rule tactic suppresses overall wage levels of WC
ALSO Immigrants scapegoat for problems such as housing shortages
- White WC to attention diverted from real cause of inequality (capitalism)
- WC too divided to unite and overthrow capitalist system
What’s Miles saying (1/3)
Neo-Marxist
Same as Cox (racism justify exploitation of non-Europeans)
- Nationalism replaces racism based on strict biology
Miles influenced by Weberian theory
* Status & class used to explain racism
What’s Miles saying (2/3)
White society treats ethnic minorities as socially & culturally different
- EMs become racicalised class fractions
Racialised class fractions further reinforced when White WC discriminate based on ethnicity/nationality
Ems react to racism by stressing own ethnicity
- Young Afro-Caribbeans stress Black power through membership of Rastafarian groups
- Asians stress family ties & community through living location and marriage partner choice
What’s Miles saying (3/3)
EMs began entering professional middle class
* restricted to Lower MC
White MC/WC don’t perceive MC EMs as same/higher status
- even if EMs dont experience social class inequality
- Still experience status inequality
Class & status are inherently linked
Evaluation of Cox
Patterson’s host-immigration model
(also)
Difficult to prove racism is a capitalist ideology
* overly simplistic theory
Racism can benefit capitalism in the long run but there is no recurring evidence that shows racism stems solely from capitalism
Evaluation of Castles & Kosack
Deindustrialisation changed the nature of economic immigrants
Economic immigarnts possess higher-level skills and knowledge
Wrong about all EMs are disadvantaged in UK
over 5,000 Muslim millionaires in Britain
Evaluation of Miles
Difficult to prove racism (nationalism) is a capitalist ideology
* overly simplistic theory
Racism (discrimination based on ethnicity) can benefit capitalism in the long run but there is no recurring evidence that shows racism (ethnic discrimination) stems solely from capitalism
(also)
Downplays possible cooperation between both groups in trade union movements
People work together to ensure their rights as workers
Westgaard and Resler (evaluation of MARXISM)
disagree and argue that ethnic minorities form part of a unified working class
Weakness of Marxism
historical evidence suggests racism precedes capitalism
Hall
racism is historically specific and changes over time to suit the bourgeoisie. Example= in the 70’s during an economic crisis, caribbean migrants were scapegoated to divert the attention away from the real problem-the economy. This is all part of the ideological state apparatus.
