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Britishness, Englishness and the UK Multicultural Debate

Explore the complexities of British national identity, ethnic diversity, and multiculturalism in a historical context, from the Empire to present-day challenges. Discover key issues such as ethnic assimilation, inter-ethnic violence, and the debate on multicultural policy. Delve into the unique varieties of ethnic diversity in the UK, resistance to assimilation, and the impact of intermarriage on identity. Critically assess the concepts of consociationalism and proportionality in British multicultural policy, and examine the fate of multiculturalism in UK society.

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Britishness, Englishness and the UK Multicultural Debate

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  1. Britishness, Englishness and the UK Multicultural Debate

  2. Multiculturalism, Key Issues • Problem: Ethnic Diversity in one State (ie demographic multiculturalism) • Form of Ethnic Conflict Regulation • Multiculturalism as public policy and ideology • Public policy -humane assimilation, cosmopolitanism or consociationalism?

  3. Different Varieties of Ethnic Diversity in the UK • State: Britain • Nation: England, Scotland, Wales, Ulster/Ireland • Primary Ethnies: English, Scots, Welsh, Ulster-Protestants, Irish Nationalists • Secondary Ethnies: Jews, Bengalis, Turkish Cypriots...

  4. History of British National Identity • British State-national identity post-1707: Empire, Protestantism, 'Anglo-Saxonism', Liberal-Democratic-Capitalism, Whiteness. • Ethnic elements and statist elements • British Ethnic-national identity: Canada, Australia, S. Africa, Ulster, England - ?? - (i.e. Britain as extension of England) • British State-national identity (Scotland, Wales, Ireland) • A 'thicker' Britishness than today

  5. Empire and English National Identity • English ethnic and national identity submerged/expressed through British symbols • Kumar's 'missionary' English nationalism. Expansive and universalist rather than introspective • But were ethnic elements really so marginal?

  6. Primary Ethnicity and Regional Nationalism in Britain under Empire • Scots retained Presbyterian Kirk, Legal, Educational, Local Govt • Welsh have dissenting religious traditions/language/culture • Scottish and Welsh political nationalism weak until 1960s-70s • Resistance to idea of Home Rule • Devolution only in 1970s: asymmetrical federalism

  7. Secondary Ethnicity in Britain • Secondary ethnicity: Huguenots 17th c, Scots 18th c, Irish & Jews 19th c-20th c, West Indians & Subcontinent after 1948 • Numbers never enormous nationally • Big local effect: Irish in Liverpool and Glasgow, Jews in E End, • Today: S Asians in parts of London and northern Mill Towns (Oldham, Burnley, Bradford)

  8. Ethnic Assimilation • multi-stage: economic, cultural, marital, identificational, ancestral • Huguenots – • James Molyneaux (UUP) • surname like Fletcher or Gascoigne seen as English • American Revolutionary Paul Revere • Irish and Jews – • Decline of sectarianism in Merseyside/Lancashire; • Are Mandelson or Michael Howard Jews or English? • Intermarriage leads to change in identity for many of the 25% of English with Irish blood

  9. Resistance to Ethnic Assimilation • 'Counter-entropic' traits (Gellner): 'race', religion • Afro-Caribbeans, despite race have 30-40% intermarriage rate. Offspring of these marriages over 90% marry whites • Major decline in Afro-Caribbean population through intermarriage • Opposite story for S Asian Muslims. • High Muslim endogamy and religious retention

  10. Muslim Religious Retention

  11. Inter-Ethnic Violence • 1958 Notting Hill - White-Black Riots • 1981 Toxteth Riot – Police v Black Youths • 2001 Mill Town Riots: Oldham, Bradford, Leeds, Burnley. White-Asian violence • Shift to White-Asian clashes • Blacks v State, but not v whites • S Asians v whites, but not v state • Cantle 2006: segregation and political mutliculturalism partly to blame

  12. Indexes of Acculturation • Education: varies by ethnic group • British-born S. Asians do much better than parents • Hindus, Ugandan Asians and Indian Muslims do better than Bangladeshis and Pakistanis • Poor whites and blacks at bottom of economic ladder

  13. Multicultural policy: Consociationalism? • Community Autonomy?: • Faith Schools - hard fought RC-Protestant battles in early 20th c • Culture Funding for newspapers, associations and projects • Public services in other languages? • Ethnic 'Leaders' in Local Government and seeking Public Funding

  14. Proportionality? • No PR, but effort to run minority candidates • cabinet representation? Not yet. • No explicit 'affirmative action' in university admissions and public employment/contracts, housing. But softer 'targets' rather than harder 'quotas' (CRE) • also no Mutual Veto or Grand Coalition

  15. British Consociationalism?: An Assessment • Some community autonomy • Some proportionality • Why not more? • small minority population (under 9 pc) • secondary ethnicity

  16. Symbolic Multiculturalism in the UK • Multiculturalism mainly expressed through symbolism • 'Thinning' of national symbolism and narrative • Exclusive elements culled • Official pronouncements (cool Britannia, national diversity) • School texts, on BBC, NHS, etc (Multifaith, Multilanguage, multiracial imagery) • Private sector takes cue from public (i.e. diversity training, diversifying workplace)

  17. The Fate of Multiculturalism - 'Multiculturalism' as unofficial policy - Turning point is Parekh report 2000 • Parekh, drawing on academic theorists like Gilroy and Kymlicka - Jack Straw condemns section which equates Britishness with whiteness - Forwards a 'thin' narrative based on British 'values' • - Unclear what is meant by 'multiculturalism'. Attacked or supported in different ways by various actors

  18. 2001….. • Loss of support in the centre • Street confrontations and riots in Northern cities • Straw talks tough on integration, Britishness • 9/11 and the ‘war on terrorism’ • ‘Beyond Multiculturalism’: CRE, Prospect, Observer, Guardian, Channel 4 openDemocracy, British Council etc

  19. 2003… - Trevor Phillips of CRE in 2003 • 7/7 bombings • Phillips initially backs Parekh report and other multicultural initiatives • Goodhart 2004 article - Phillips a critic of Goodhart article (2004) - Phillips' 2004 change to deride multiculturalism in favour of integration and Britishness - a civic nationalism based on 'values'. Mainly about integration in socioeconomic sphere, use of English, support for universal values

  20. British State-national Identity - New Labour: from 'cool Britannia' to Straw, Blunkett, Brown - Emphasis on British 'values': inclusive and universal - Selective use of the past to bolster liberal-egalitarian narrative - In opposition to English and other nationalisms/ethnicities - Possible contradiction between Britishness and Devolution

  21. What About the 'Ethnic' Dimension?: English Ethnicity and Nationhood - Goodhart article: diversity v solidarity (2004) - Diversity and trust (Putnam) - question of immigration control - what of recognition of majority English ethnic group?

  22. The British Far Right • Not part of mainstream debate. • English ethnic nationalism • "We, the native British people", are on track to become a minority within 60 years. • In order to keep "homeland": • Halt immigration; • "Clamp down" on asylum seekers; • Voluntary, subsidized repatriation; • End affirmative action for minorities

  23. Arraying Main Schools of Thought • Perhaps 5 Positions: • Ethnic nationalist: BNP, Linsell?, Scruton? • Civic nationalist-restrictive: Goodhart, New Labour?, UKIP • Civic nationalist-liberal: Phillips, New Labour ?, Malik, Bhatt? • Cosmo-multiculturalist: Modood, Bhatt • Communal Multiculturalist: Parekh?, Muslim Council of Britain

  24. What is Multiculturalism? • Between Assimilation (elimination) and Consociation (management) lies 'integration' (high-wire act? weasel word?) • Multiculturalists (Modood) argue for two-way integration • Civic nationalists more one-way (Straw, Blunkett, Goodhart) • Integration: Economic and political, but what about culture, identity, marriage, ethnicity?

  25. What does Multiculturalism Want? • Multiculturalism premised on the rejection of dominant ethnicity (immigration control, assimilation) • Harder to say what it supports: • Economic-political integration or parallel institutions? • Inter-ethnic marriage or endogamy? • Cultural 'hybridity' or cultural retention? • Shared cosmopolitan values or cultural diversity? • Ethnic diversity or trans-ethnic diversity? - Hybridity (diversity within individuals) or Multiculturalism (diversity between groups of similar individuals)? Does hybridity not lead eventually to monoculturalism?

  26. Means Liberal Communitarian Assimilation Nationalists Liberal Progressives Ends Cosmopolitan-Multiculturalists Communitarian Multicuturalists Mosaic

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