THEORY - Ethnicity Flashcards
FUNCTIONALISM - Host immigrant model
A (largely) positive iital vision of immigrant assimilation. Western societies are both meritocratic and based on value consensus or shared values so after the inital problems of fitting into a new culture (which will mean inequality), immingrants will later be able to acsess equality in the UK as long as they assimilate.
FUNCTIONALISM - Sheila Patterson (reaction to the windrush)
She argues that there was a cultural clash between African-Caribbean immigrants (who were regarded as boisterous and noisey) and their english hosts (who valued privacy, quiet and ‘keeping oneself to oneself’). These cultural clashes reflected undersandable fears and anxieties on the part of the host cumminity. She claimed that the English were not actually racist - rather they were unsure about how to act towards the newcomers.
FUNCTIONALISM - Sheila Patterson (causes of ethnic inequality).
1) The host population - the white majority - feared social change and difference because the existing social order was based on tradition and homogenity or sameness.
2) Sections of the host population, particuarly the white working class resented having to compete for scarce resources - jobs and housing - with the newcomers.
3) BAME groups failed to assimilate and intergrage, for example, they did not become fully ‘british’. In fact from the host population perspective, they did the complete opposite.
FUNCTIONALISM - Patterson (Assimilation)
Patterson was reasonably optomistic about the future of race relations in the UK and argued that ethnic minorities would eventually move toward full cultural assimilation by shedding their ‘old’ ethnic values and taking on English/British values.
FUNCTIONALISM - Failiure to assimilate
She found that ethnic minorities associated with BAME communities and retained many elements of their home culture in terms of tradition, diet, dress, and religion. Religion especially became an important means of defence against the inscreasingly secular values of the host population.
Patterson’s theory was implicitly critical of the insistence of ethnic minorities that they should retain their own cultural values and practices because these allegedly make white people fearful and anxious.
FUNCTIONALISM - AO3 of host-immigrant model (multiculturalism)
Patterson and the New Right are wrong to assume that immigrants MUST assimilate in order to enjoy equality. Britain has largely been following a policy of multiculturalism whereby difference is celebrated - religious buildings, festivals etc are abundant and the effect is that migrants feel welcome and don’t have to hide that part of their identity. Johal argues that many young prefossional Asians have now taken on a Brasian identity in order to get the best out of both cultural worlds.
FUNCTIONALISM - Postmodernism AO3 of the host immigrant model.
Postmodernists claim that assimilation was always the wrong goal. They suggest that socieities should actually aim to be multicultural. Postmodernists argue that it is healthier for ethnic and religous subcultures live alongside each other whilst retaining their own cultural traditions. This will eventually produce a more tolerant and hybridised society as cultures influence one another.
FUNCTIONALISM - Marxist AO3
Marxists claim that racism and ethnic inequality function for the benefit of capitalism by undermining the unity of the working-class. If the working class, both black and white, are divided by racial enmity than they are unlikely to coopertate to overthrow the capitalist class.
FUNCTIONALISM - Host immigrant model AO3 (other ones)
- Patterson may have been unduly optomistic about the viability of the first and second generation of BAME citizen’s ability to assimilate considering the fierce opposition from the host population.
- Assimilation was always an impractical goal until racism in all its varied forms was outlawed by legislation.
- White people have inadvertently contributed to the lack of assimilation by engaging in ‘white flight’ - moving out of areas as BAME groups move in. This worsened the relationships as the white working class people were left competing for scarce resources + low paid low skill jobs.
THE NEW RIGHT - Tony sewell (triple quandary)
1) African-caribbean families fail their boys because they often lack fathers and therefore boys lack positive role models, espceically when they hit puberty. (Many black-caribbean families are single parent. Boys who lack fathers are more easily recruited into gangs by such role models).
2) Society fails to deal with institutional racism that exists in some schools and police forces, therefore black kids are excluded from school and stopped by the police. Black youths grow resentful and are more likely to take part in deviancy.
3) He found that black boys priotize instant gratification as alot of media culture (such as music and rap) celebrate individualism, hyper-masculinity, and materialism. They gain respect from material goods rather then the education system which they do not care for.
THE NEW RIGHT - Tony Sewell AO3
He attracted criticism because he argues that African-Caribbean boys need to take responsibility for the inequalities faced by younger members of the community.
However it is unfair to claim that he soley blames African-Caribbean kids for the inequalities. He sees white people as equally to blame and acknowledges that racism is very relevent in schools.
WEBERIAN - Max Weber
He argues that modern society is catagorized by status inequality, and that idendities such as; ethnicity, gender, age, and class can make you have a lower status. Therefore, ethnic minorities are more likely to suffer from inequalites.
Status and power are in the hands of the majority-ethnic group, thereby making it difficult for ethnic-minority groups to compete equally for jobs, housing etc.
‘more ethnic minority workers on zero-hours contracts compared to white colleagues, analysis reveals’
WEBARIAN - Barron and norris
They argue that the economy is organised in the form of a dual labour market.
- Primary labour sector is the well paid jobs with long term promotion prspects. Jobs in this sector are monopolised by white men.
- Secondary labour sector is the low paid unskilled and insecure jobs which is dominated by females and ethnic minority workers.
WEBERIAN - Barron and Norris supporting evidence
In 2014, the Runnymede Trust reported that workplace inequality with regard to race actually widened between 2001 and 2011 despite the legislation which is meant to prevent this. Racism is the norm in many workplaces.
WEBARIAN - Barron and Norris AO3
There is considerable overlap between the white and black population in terms of poverty and unemployment.
