Ethnic Minority Aspirations for Social Mobility - Literature review Example

What Buctler and Hamnetts study add to the understanding of ethnic minority aspirations for social mobility in the New East End (Institution) (Course) (Tutor) (Date) Introduction East End London is an area in England north of river Thames. This was an area that came to develop rapidly during the period of the nineteenth century. The region attracted a large number of those who were looking for employment (Butler and Hamnett 2011). It first began with the Huguenot refugees who moved in the 17th century. Later on the Irish weavers, Ashkenazi Jews and the Bangladesh followed. This was able to bring about some social reforms in the region. During these periods, there were different classes of people in the region. These were class of people high up in the rankings and those who were in the least positions (Grusky, Ku and Szelényi 2008). The aspiration that the ethnic minority had in mind was to move from the low class to the middle class. This is because they lacked the social mobility (Grusky, Ku and Szelényi 2008). This paper is going to analyze what Buctler and Hamnetts (2011) study add to the understanding of ethnic minority aspirations for social mobility in the new East End. Ethnic minority aspirations for social mobility in the New East End London is among the global city that is leading in the whole world. This is because of the position that it takes, the financial flow and migration that takes place on the two end sides of the labor market at the top and the bottom (Butler and Hamnett 2011). On one, hand, there are those workers that are highly paid and those that are poorly paid. For example, those that are highly paid came from US, France, Germany, Japan, China, on the other hand, the less skilled are the large masses from Africa and Asia. Those in good living environment with wealth are the whites while the rest are non-white. During these periods, there has been great de-industrialization, which has shaped East End dramatically (Grusky, Ku and Szelényi 2008). There has been a prominent social division in East End and the West End in terms of races. The east was made of the poor and deprived ethnic minority. While, on the other hand, the west was full of wealth and power. The people on the west end were mostly the whites. With the development of the docks in the nineteenth century the working class of individuals became much established than the previous centuries (Harvey 2005). East End had been an abiding area for the whites who are in the working class. They had a tight social link that was on the basis of kinship and class. But as the transformation transpired more began to suburbanize out to areas like Woodford and other areas elsewhere. East End remained to retain the old traditional characters (Harvey 2005). The dramatic economical, social and physical changes that have taken place in east London in the past 3 decades which began with the closure of the docks, subsequent de-industrialization and redevelopment of canary wharf (Harvey 2005). This movement made it possible for the white collar jobs to be brought in large numbers, in the region, in terms of finance, business services and new residents who have come to rent the luxurious houses near the river. Moreover, the working class which comprised of the whites, is now moving to away, and they are being replaced in large numbers by a new multi ethnic population. Even thought the many of the people in the group are still poor but they are no longer whites (Harvey 2005). The Asian population has been moving on the outer regions where they have now overwhelmed the whites. The whites decided to shift to other places because they aspired only to remain close together as whites. Parts of the remaining regions are now being owned by the black and minority ethnic middle class (Andersen, Taylor and Kokayi 2007). Britain has experienced the upward social mobility within the minority ethnic groupings. In particular, the Indians and the Chinese have moved into the middle class professions, managerial and entrepreneur positions (Butler and Hamnett 2011). This shows that the ethnic divergence is not only due to the dissimilar cultural groups but also owing to different education, employment and housing. Even though, this place in London was receiving so many people, it had an extremely poor environment. The industries that were found in that location at that period contained low skilled labor. This place whose social and political organization was a continual source of fascination, and it threatened the Victorian establishment (Andersen, Taylor and Kokayi 2007). The organization in East End began with the pre existing models of unions that were organized by organized leaders. They came when the ford motor company started producing cars in Dagenham in East End. Many of the group members were employed in this company which is among the first one to be brought by the organized union (Andersen, Taylor and Kokayi 2007). The closely knit occupational communities of the working class in East End played an exceedingly vital role in challenging and transforming the area. After the experience of the great depression, people were able to understand that they had social as well as economic and political rights in which the state had the duty to balance the poverty across the country. Important steps were then taken by the people to ensure the welfare state is set up (Andersen, Taylor and Kokayi 2007). There were some uprisings in the cities. Later on there was a tripartite that took place, and it was agreed by labor to legitimate the economy of the market and agree upon state funding, which involved the provision of welfare safety and labor reproduction (Butler and Hamnett 2011). The process of change that took place with the different classes, white working class inner East End and the lower middle class outer surbarn belt has resulted in different distribution of class places. Furthermore, there was conceptualization of ethnicity, aspiration, mobility, culture and community. The minority middle class ethnic group are also among the once who have taken part in the achievements, in the area, by struggling against the institutional racism of the collective mobility that was there before (Horowitz 1985). The middle class group now takes up sizeable number f the individuals who are residing in East End. They have tried to push for successive conservative, new labor and coalition governments. This area has had very many contemporary issues about the transformation of the social structure. This is due to the interaction of the social and structural factors. These groups have tried to move around each other and gain advantage in the society by trying to minimize the risk of failure by setting up values and having great aspirations (Horowitz 1985). This is seen when there is closure of docks that were associated with the changes in occupational class structure as the previous working class has shrunk to be taken over by the intermediate and lower middle class. East London has been the poorest area in London but slowly it is seeing the gradual change (Horowitz 1985). In the recent four decades that have passed there has been a big change in the ethnic composition, in East End. The region has changed from largely white mono-ethnic area to a multi-ethnic metropolis. The ethnic minority cover up half of the population. The concept of aspiration underwent some rediscovery in the new labor renaissance (Thompson 2012). Leaders like Tony Blair and others were able to find out on common basis in asserting that someone’s aspiration was an indispensable part in the new labor projects. It was seen that many of the white working class moved out to new outer regions because they did not like to mix up with the new immigrants (Butler and Hamnett 2011). They have been replaced by the Asians and blacks in places like the Newham. These groups brought about the development of the docks which in turn brought about the growth in related dock-processing and consumer goods industries. Also, there has been the redevelopment of the tower Hamlets and the Newham which replaced the dilapidated terraced houses with high council estates (Thompson 2012). The black and the other minority groups have been pulled to these new locations due to the presence of non-selective schools and availability of single family housing which has a small garden at the front. For all these periods, the different classes and culture has played a massive role in defining East End’s society and its economy. These changes have seen the radical transformation of the region in the recent decades (Butler and Hamnett 2011). The insecure natures of industries like the food market that have been dominating the labor market have changed to a better manner by labor. The industries were much populated by the low skilled but with education the industries are coming up with skilled middle class people taking up the middle class positions like the managerial. The insecurity that was being felt over the periods shifted to a much secure and a better workforce (Butler and Hamnett 2011). The process of class change and the diversification has resulted in different distribution of class places and conceptualization of ethnicity, aspiration, mobility, culture and community. Conclusion The social mobility has offered considerable freedom to individuals of the ethnic minority groups. They have moved in different social positions and gained better education. Their welfare has improved and their housing (Butler and Hamnett 2011). Bibliography: Andersen, M.,   Taylor, H. and Kokayi, K., 2007. Sociology: the essentials Mason. OH: Thomson Wadsworth publishers. Butler, T. and Hamnett, C., 2011. Ethnicity, class and aspiration: understanding Londons new East End. Bristol: Policy publishers. Grusky, D., Ku, M. and   Szelényi, S., 2008. Social stratification: class, race, and gender in sociological perspective. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press. Harvey, D., 2005. A brief history of neoliberalism. New York: Oxford University Press. Horowitz, D., 1985. Ethnic groups in conflict. Berkeley: University of California Press. Thompson, A., 2012. Britains experience of empire in the twentieth century. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. Read More