Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism in Britain
England:84% of Britain
Britain
English ethnic core: 73% of all people in England
White British: 77% of England
Other White British:Scots, Welsh, Irish, Ulster British
Source: Policy Exchange, ‘A Portrait of Modern Britain’ (2014
Wards% White
Quintile 1 6,722 94%
Quintile 2 1,029 79%
Quintile 3 406 58%
Quintile 4 248 40%
Quintile 5 166 21%
Total 8850 82
Wards% White
Quintile 1 7554 98Quintile 2 726 87Quintile 3 288 73Quintile 4 180 57Quintile 5 102 34Total 8850 91
2001 2011
White Flight?
Manchester 1991-2001
White neighbourhoods remain relatively white
USA 1970-2000
Source: data from Card Mas & Rothstein 2008
Source: Andersson Hammarstedt Neuman 2012
05
10W
hite
Abs
olu
te P
opu
latio
n C
hang
e (p
er
197
0 w
hite
po
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0 20 40 60 80 100Share of Minorities in 1970
Minorities mix with each other as whites
decline
Pakistani Bangladeshi Caribbean Indian-1.4
-4.1
-0.4
-2.9
9.8 9.6
7.6
9.7
-7.2
-4.4
-8.4
-7.1
70-100% Minority, 70-100% Own Group 70-100% Minority, less than 70% own group0-20% Minority
How did Ethnic Groups Move?: by Ethnic Neighbourhood Type, 2001-11
Source: R. Johnston, M. Poulsen, J. Forrest, Multiethnic residential areas in a multiethnic country? A decade of major change in England and Wales,’ Environment and Planning A 2013, volume 45, pages 753 – 759
Multicultural policy (??)• Faith Schools• Limited funding for ethnic newspapers, associations and projects• Public services in other languages• Ethnic 'Leaders' in Local Government meeting with government
SO NOT REALLY ABOUT POWER AND MONEY BEING HANDED OUT ON ETHNIC LINES, INSTEAD:
• **Symbolism. National identity: 'Britain as multicultural'
Inter-Ethnic Violence
1958 Notting Hill - White-Black Riots1981 Toxteth Riot – Police v Black Youths2001 Mill Town Riots: Oldham, Bradford, Leeds, Burnley. White-Asian violence• Shift to White-Asian clashes• Blacks v State, but not v whites• S Asian Muslims v whites, but not v
stateCantle 2006: segregation and political mutliculturalism partly to blame
Policy Shift
• Begins 2000 after Parekh Report• Change in Europe with rise of Far Right 1990s (i.e. Le Pen; Haider)• 2001 Mill Town Riots & 9/11, 7/7• Change in Centre-Left and Centre-Right
National Identity and Multiculturalism• In most western societies, issues around immigrant incorporation are
symbolic rather than material• Official discourse• School curriculum• Very little power/money allocated to ethnic group bodies
Multivocal, not multicultural
Multicultural, with white peripheries
English ethnic nation, multicultural cities, Celtic periphery
Multivocalism/Multi-Nationalism
• Current vogue for integrationist civic nationalism alienates multiculturalists and ethno-nationalists
• Why not establish a common minimum and fill in the blanks?• Wide range of lenses on the nation tolerated and validated• Tailor-made nationalism, multivocal symbols
Constructive Ambiguity• Wording is ambiguous• Sold differently to each side• Leaders allow each side to
believe the deal favours them
• No problem if ethnic Englishman identifies with Britain through her ethnicity