1. Welcome to Ethnicity and ‘Race’
Dr Pam Lowe

2. Introduction to the Module
Key concepts and terms
Measuring the issues
What comes next?

3. The problem of definitions
Language used to define and describe ‘race’ and ethnicity is often rooted in particular political ideologies
Terms are often contested and have a particular history
Gandhi was asked ‘What do you think of Western civilization?’
He replied ‘I think it would be a very good idea.’

4. The social construction of ‘race’
Concept of ‘race’ emerged with the expansion of colonial empires.
Linked to ideas emerging from Darwinism about hereditary and natural selection
Dominant ‘races’ (white, western) were more ‘evolved’ (civilised, superior)

5. ‘Natural superior’ Social Darwinism used to justify: Slavery
Slaves not really ‘people’ at all
Rule of indigenous populations
Often treated as childlike,
need discipline for own benefit

6. Constructing ‘races’
As understanding of genetics grew the idea of separate ‘races’ became untenable in the natural sciences.
Yet large sections of the world continue to act as if they exist
Sociologists study the outcome of this process (racism)

7. ‘Race’ and racism
‘Race’ is not a biological category but a social category constructed through racist thinking
As biological thinking has declined, racism has remain, but is increasingly linked to ideas about cultural incompatibility
Paris during riots in 2005

8. Ideological dilemmas
Does the study of ‘race’ within sociology continue to legitimise this outdated concept, aiding those who wish to maintain the notion that there are distinct ‘races’?
Or is the study of ‘race’ as a social relationship necessary because it is so prominent in the organisation of society?

9. Ethnicity
Definitions vary, but usually rooted in ideas about cultural distinctiveness emerging through common descent, cultural heritage or traditions
Boundaries of ethnicity are fuzzy not fixed
Different groups may use different elements to define them
Eg language, religion or geography

10. Ethnicity
Ethnicity is always a social concept and rooted partly in self-definition by members
People may identify with more than one ethnicity (Scottish, British, Kurdish)
Others may impose definitions

11. Ethnicity
In the UK, the word ‘ethnic’ is often used to describe non-white/western
Ethnic-look in fashion
White British people may not seen
themselves as having an ethnic group

12. Ethnic- minority
Ethnic-minority is often used to define groups by skin colour in the UK
Sign of cultural difference
Communities such as Italian or Irish people are rarely defined by others as an ethnic-minority in the UK even if they are culturally distinct
Groups of Black people that are culturally indistinguishable from white are still considered different

13. Ethnicity What ethnic group or groups do you feel you belong to?
To what extent to you think it is possible to chose your ethnicity?
Do you think ethnicity is a better term than ‘race’?

14. Measuring differences and discrimination
Until quite recently, many official surveys like the Census only asked for country of birth
So the position of many minority-ethnic groups was not sufficiently recorded
Standard classification of ethnicity introduced - but much debated

15. UK Census classification
A White  British
 Irish
 Other White background please specify
B Mixed  White and Black Caribbean
 White and Black African
 White and Asian
 Other mixed background please specify
C Asian or Asian British  Indian
 Pakistani
 Bangladeshi
 Other Asian background please specify
D Black or Black British  Caribbean
 African
 Other Black background please specify
E Chinese Or Other Ethnic Group  Chinese
 Any Other background please specify
What issues does this classification raise?

16. Results of 2001 Census Do the results surprise you in any way?
From National
Statistics online

17. Differences between minority groups
Recording data on different Asian groups has helped to illuminate differences
Those of Indian ethnicity are more likely to achieve higher qualifications and professional positions than those from Pakistani or Bangladesh ancestry
Differences between minority groups can be as significant as those between white and Asian and Black groups
Indian Doctors in the NHS

18. Religion
In the 2001 census a question on religion was included for the first time.
Data can be used to find out the impact of religion on key variables
Protection against religious discrimination introduced in December 2003

19. Where does the problem lie?
Tariq Modood argues that the way we divide people leads to particular conclusions
Dividing people differently shows different patterns of advantage and disadvantage
People with a rural Gujerati ancestry (part of India) have similar socio-economic circumstances to those of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origins
Modood argues that the major divide is between Sunni Muslims and all other Asians
Modood T (1992) Not Easy Being British Trentham Books

20. Religious discrimination
To what extent do you think that religious discrimination is as big a problem as racial discrimination?

21. What next? Week 14 Introduction to ‘race and racism’
Week 15 The contested topic of institutional racism
Week 16 ‘Whiteness’: an ethnicity or identity?
Week 17 Gendered nationalism and imagined communities
Week 18 Historical and modern slavery
Week 19 Migration and diasporas
Week 20 The age and ideologies of Empires
Week 21 Colonial conquests: White settler societies and indigenous populations
Week 22 Apartheid and Post Apartheid.
Week 23 Revision and essay workshops
Week 24 Essay submission

22. Module organisation Weekly classes
Informal lecture followed by discussion
Read before attending class
Assessment by 2000 word essay due in week 25.
Essay questions will be given out later
Slides will go on blackboard after each lecture

23. Extra sources
Films and novels can offer good material to study some of the issues.
Examples include:
Mississippi Burning
Hotel Rwanda
To Kill a Mockingbird
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Rabbit-Proof Fence
Gandhi