C1 SA - Culture & Identity - Topic 7, Ethnic identity

Question 1

What is ‘race’?

Answer 1

Refers to an individuals biological characteristics e.g. skin colour.

Question 2

Ethnicity

Answer 2

Refers to a persons cultural characteristics and expectations e.g. language, religion, traditions, history and customs.

Question 3

Study - Banton (2000) - Who has ethnicity?

Answer 3

In contemporary UK ethnicity is being viewed as something that everyone has, as seen by the questions asked in the census.

Question 4

Study - Mason (2000) - British white people and ethnicity.

Answer 4

British white people tend to see ethnicity as being something other groups have.

Question 5

Study - Said (1985) - Whites and muslims

Answer 5

White people tend to view muslims as being extreme, undermining the relationship between Muslims and western culture

Question 6

What is ‘othering’?

Answer 6

The self is seen a positive way and anything different is defined in the negative.

Question 7

Afro-Caribbean identities:
Dialect
Study - Gilroy (1987) - Black expressive cultures

Answer 7

Dialect is important as it reinforces individuals sense of having a distinct cultural identity.
Gilroy - Black people have contributed to popular culture, Gilroy believes there is no single black culture but there are patterns in all black culture e.g. awareness of historical slavery.

Question 8

AC identity - STUDY - Alexander (1985) - art of being black

Answer 8

Youth feels there is certain things through dress, speech etc. that create a black identity.

Question 9

Asian identities

Answer 9

Differences between British muslims (Sunni and Shiah) but shared faith (ummah)
Each religion has its own place of worship.
Difference in dress codes etc. Similarities with family honour and extended family.

Question 10

White identities:
Study - Hewitt (1996) - Whiteness and invisible culture
Study - Hewitt (2005) - White backlash against multiculturalism

Answer 10

(1996) White culture not celebrated - unfair. Feels white people should be proud of their own cultural traditions and for it to not be perceived as racist.
(2005) Policies designed to achieve equality have been perceived as unfair to the white community.

Question 11

White identities
Study - Spencer (2007) - eu migrants and british
Study - Dawney (2008) - rise against eu migrants

Answer 11

(2007) Little time spent socialising with British people

(2008) Evidence of racism in rural community, fear of numbers, felt threatened by the migrants.

Question 12

Define hybrid identities

Answer 12

A hybrid is a cross between two or more things. A hybrid identity means that someone’s sense of who they are is a mixture of two or more influences.

Question 13

Study - Nayak (2003), “white wannabes”

Answer 13

Describes white British males who dress, act and speak in a way that is influenced by black hip-hop culture.

Question 14

Study - Johal (1998), Dual identity and ‘white mask’

Answer 14

Inheriting an an asian identity but adopting a british identity, constructing own identity through fashion and music.

Question 15

Study - Butler (1995), 3rd generation Muslim women

Answer 15

Choice of identities e.g. traditional clothing or western clothing also may have different opinions on equality compared to their mothers.

Question 16

Study - Ghuman (1999), Compartmentalism

Answer 16

Suggests Hindu and Sikh girls use ‘compartmentalism’ to cope with their parents restrictions and racial prejudice. Also suggest some girls have to give up hope on a career and have an arranged marriage due to the pressures from their parents.

Question 17

Study - Back (1996), Cultural borrowing

Answer 17

Studied 2 council estates, found interracial friendship was common, creating ‘cultural borrowing’ through fashion, music and language.

Question 18

Study - Gill, Brasian identity

Answer 18

British asian - fusion of cultures, mainly based on black culture.

Question 19

Study - Modood (1997), Generational differences

Answer 19

2nd generation minorities felt more british than their parents, but still saw their ethnic origin as a key part of their identity.

Question 20

Postmodernist view

Answer 20

Society is globalised and media based. Identity is about choice. Ethnicity is becoming less important, however some argue that ethnicity and race are still sources of discrimination.

Question 21

Resistance to hybridity:

Study - Cashmore & Troyna (1990) - Turning inwards

Answer 21

Tendency for ethnic minorities to seek support from their own community as a response to racism therefore strengthening their culture and religion.

Question 22

Study - James (1993) - Racism as a unifying force

Answer 22

Carribean people had cultural differences with black people from Britain however their common experience of racism brought afro-carribean people together.

Question 23

Study - Jacobson (1997) - Strong islamic identity

Answer 23

Young pakistanis adopting a strong muslim identity, response to the exclusion from white british society. Having a strong muslim identity gave them a sense of security and stability.

Question 24

Study - Bhatti - Family loyalty and izzar (Family)

Answer 24

Interview 50 British asian families (majority muslim), pattern of maintain marriage traditions. Family honour is considered very important for young girls and motherhood is the most important role in life.

Question 25

Study - Basit - Teachers and muslim girls (Education)

Answer 25

Interview 24 British muslim girls, their parents and 18 of their teachers. Teachers thought religion was oppressive and undesirable whereas the girls felt no oppression and saw any restriction as being protection.

Question 26

Study - Sreberny (1999) - stereotyping of ethnic minorities (Media)

Answer 26

Suggests ethnic minorities are negatively stereotyped, in comedy it is difficult to assess.