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

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Abs

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197

0 w

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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