Multi-Ethnicity, Race and Cultural Pluralism in Britain - Research Paper Example

Race and Ethnicity - Immigration in Britain today Introduction Sizable proportion of immigrants in the contemporary Britain is making a significant influence on its rich diversity, particularly in aspects of race and ethnicity. The role of immigration in Britain has impacted the cultural and the social sphere of the country over the years. This diverse race and ethnicity has led to social inequalities and class discrimination, giving rise to political and social disturbances. The aim of the study is to analyze the multi-ethnicity, race and cultural pluralism in the Britain resulting from the immigration, and the related media, political and community responses to this immigration. The study provides a background of immigration history in Britain, the method of data collection and analysis, along with few preliminary findings. Finally, it presents the discussion of the methodology, with a detailed report of the research findings. Background Britain and in particular London has been the centre for international trade, since the Roman invaders’ settlement on the River Thames. The city’s position as a centre for commerce has contributed to the temporary and permanent settlement of foreign residents within it. However, in the past few decades, there had been a radical change in the nature and scale of the immigrants, owing to worldwide phenomenon including globalization, advancements in transportation and technology, etc. After the arrival of Normans in 1066, merchants from Europe settled in the region, followed by Jews and other religious refugees, including African servants, slaves and seamen. “London’s ethnic minority population is estimated to have been about 1,850 in 1440, 3,000 in 1501 and between 5,000 and 10,000 in the 1570s, between five to ten per cent of the population at the time.” (Gordon and Tony 2006). It is evident that there had been a considerable amount of immigrants entering Britain, even before the occurrence of modern ‘immigration’. After the development of Britain as a economic power, during the Industrial Revolution and after the World Wars, immigrants from various parts of the world were attracted to Britain. Apart from European countries, mass arrivals of new migrants came predominantly from Caribbean as well as Asian countries, particularly from the Indian sub-continent. The populace of Britain, in particular London started prospering because of this immigration and the capital held people of diverse ethnicity, nationality and also religions. Since the early of 1990s, the immigration saw a greater scale of increase, with massive movement of people in and out of the country. This trend is expected to continue in the coming decades as well. “A high degree of racial/ethical/religious mix in principle cities will be the norm in twenty-first century Europe, and will categorize its national economic, cultural and political life. (Modood 2013, p.4). Today, London’s sizable part of the population is immigrants, posing to be a threat as well as an opportunity for the nation. Method of data collection and analysis For the purpose of reporting on the political, community and media responses to immigration in Britain today, various methods of data collection were initiated. Secondary data from various sources including books and other online sources were used. Appropriate data from academic and political journals, creditable websites, etc., were also used for the report. When all these sources were read and researched, key perspectives emerged, all of which were used appropriately in the preparation of the report, particularly to validate or support the arguments formed. Preliminary findings On analyzing the responses to immigration from the perspective of political, media and community aspects, different dimensions of immigration were identified. From the collected sources, it was found that immigration contributes to the natural increase in the population, with the UK Office of National Statistics proposing an approximately linear increase of the population size of the minority groups to between 10% and 40% of the national population by the end of the 2050. (Coleman 2013). This rise in immigration has created possible responses among the communities, media and political arena. Though more than three-fourth of the country’s population favor reducing immigration, larger majorities have started opposing those anti-immigration moves. (Coleman 2013). Immigration has a significant role in influencing race and ethnicity in the contemporary Britain. Today, London-born residents may include Europeans or Caucasian, Africans, Asians or even of a mixed race, making it a complex place in the world. According to 2011 census, 44.9% of the London city’s population comprises of the White British, while 13% are of African lineage and 18% are of Asian ethnic group. There was a steep rise of 39% in Black population when compared to the 2001 census. (Ethnic Groups 2011). Though this complexity can be strength, it is possible that there are also various challenges accompanying it. It is observable that there exist evident disparities in education, economy and employment based on their race-ethnicity as well as immigrant status. Actually, the real issue about immigration was not the immigrants itself, but how their race and ethnicity affects the culture and social aspects of Britain society, and in the process getting impacted themselves. The rapid growth of British economy stimulated the entry of migrants from many different countries, contributing to the formation of more local ethnic communities. This included communities from India, Bangladesh, Jamaica, Nigeria, and European countries like Germany, France, and Spain. In addition, Latin Americans, South Africans, New Zealanders, Cypriots and Australians, as well as few smaller communities like Uzbekistan, Belize, Moldova, El Salvador, etc., also contribute to Britain’s immigrant population. One of the key preliminary finding is, owing to the fear of unemployment, cultural degradation and social insecurity, immigrants were oppressed and discriminated in the society. Long-term effects of such conditions in Britain could cause implications among the immigrants’ health and living standard. Literature Review Migration is the mobility of the population from one place to another, either within or outside of a country, owing to the economic, political, demographic or social change or reasons. “Migration is both a result of globalization and economic change, and a powerful factor helping to shape social and political relations.” (Castles 1998). When it comes to the international level, migration has brought a steep increase in racial and ethnic diversity in many countries along with social transformation. Migration systems include Westward migrations, labor migration, intra-Asian migration, mobility of students as well as movements of refugees and asylum-seekers. This mobilization of people can cause increased growth in the ethnic diversity in the immigrated countries. In order to mitigate the effects of this ethnic diversity regulation of international migration is widely essential. As Castles and Miller (2009) stated, the concept of ethnicity can be attributed to the cultural differences, which could have its impact on individual’s personal identity as well as social interaction. The issues of insecurity within the communities have to be dealt positively using relevant measures through policies and supportive activities. “The policy goal in all of insecurity-minimizing strategies is to increase trust and confidence in marginalized or antagonized communities through promoting participation between communities or between communities and key institutions. (Mcghee 2005, p.7). While the immigrants are seen as a threat and cause of insecurity, there are also instances where immigrants are blamed for crime, unemployment and disease. Thus, “Racism is a threat, not only to immigrants themselves, but also to democratic institutions and social order.” (Castles & Miller 1998, p.15). Analyzing the causes and effects of racism helps in discussing the international migration and its effects on the society. Research findings The research on immigrant’s communities and media responses are developed focusing on the socio-cultural aspects, and political interventions. The communities’ response to immigration in Britain was negative, mainly because of racial discrimination. “There has been a negative response by the White majority in Britain to the arrival of ex-colonial black migrants. These negative responses have been reinforced by government discourses on immigration.” (Bhavnani, Mirza and Meetoo 2003, p.67). When political policies cohere with the communities’ response, it gains momentum in the social sphere. Yet another familiar result experienced throughout the communities regarding immigrants was diminution of trust. The closely knitted community groups of immigrants and host residents tend not to integrate well with each other. When the demographics of the communities change, it seems to be less acceptable by the ‘native’ residents, causing conflicts and differences. Furthermore, the changes are not confined to appearance, clothing or religion; it goes far beyond the acceptance of British values and cultures. As ethnic communities are reluctant in accepting the so called ‘British values’, and instead hold on to their native aspects, it causes clashes among the society. (Bhavnani, Mirza and Meetoo 2003). Particularly the ethnic communities are less inclined to religious freedom, women equality and secularism, which have been a part of British values for a long period. When ethnic communities’ numbers increase, it causes resentment among the host residents as they get concerned of fear that the ethnic communities could minimize their ‘share’ of social housing and welfare benefits. This resentment when combined with other frictions in the community has led to racial flare-ups. “This situation has been brought about in Britain over the last decades, criticizing “the multiculturalism as disadvantaging the majority white population, and the depiction of minority ethnic communities as ruthlessly employing the rhetoric of ‘victim culture’.” (Alam and Husband 2013). Of many restrictions against immigration, one of the major emphases was focused on the asylum-seekers. “Integral to the government's restrictive perspective was the externalization of asylum controls as a means of preventing arrival to the UK.” (Mulvey 2011). This is because these asylum-seekers eventually turned to immigrants causing a rise in racial tensions among the communities. There was also an increased use of migrant workers, who were seen as a threat to their employment opportunities. However, from positive side, these migrant workers have contributed beneficially to the British economy. It was estimated that approximately 179,000 people came to the UK for work related reasons and have contributed more than £2.5 billion to the British economy than they consumed. (Office for National Statistics 2013). Immigration poses a competitive threat, through its increased labor market competition. “Working-class opinion is frequently against immigration, whilst political and economic elites favor it, even if they remain publicly neutral.” (Fenton 2003). The media and newspapers have a significant impact in boosting up the issues of immigration as a matter of public concern. Certain section of media claims that the idea of immigration is disruptive to the identity, culture and social cohesion. However, this concept is completely flawed among the public view, as immigration is not the only driving force that can be attributed to the social change. Consumerism, increased social mobility, explosion of mass culture, free market policies, rise of financial sectors and more has transformed Britain, for the better and worse. (Hazen 2000). Meanwhile, the media focuses solely on the asylum seekers and refugees, rather than the labor migration. Furthermore, the media’s responses to the political policies against the migrants, and in particularly asylum seekers were also subdue. “Asylum seekers have become tied into broader debates on general migration and race relations policies and are portrayed as a threat to national security, welfare security and national identity.” (Stewart and Mulvey 2013). The other key perspective is immigration continues to be such a fraught political issue. As people are too irrational in understanding the facts behind immigration, it is essential for the government to deal with the emotional responses of the people in a constructive and humane way. However, in the context of the British political obsession with immigration, the policies are also allegedly framed on the basis of color, ethnicity, etc, with local conflicts among the ethnic groups and specific migrant communities being exploited by the media and political entities. “First, all minority ethnic or migrant groups suffer exclusion; and second that the latter applies core aspects of citizenship rights, both political and social.” (Ratcliffe 2004, p.2). Beyond its effects on trust, immigrants are less involved in political and electoral activities, and so they are not used as part of vote-bank politics by the political establishment, thus minimizing their bargaining power. However, the key perspective is, the above scenario is changing with all the immigrants having valid voting status wanting to take part in the election process, thereby pushing the political parties to view them positively, without bias. “Immigration-related diversity may have an impact on democratic politics by way of inducing changes in the cooperative norms and behaviors, as constituent parts of a democratic civic culture.” (Morales 2013). Civic obligations and civic competence are intertwined with political satisfaction, contributing to the attitude of civic culture. However, social interaction and connectivity is one of the foremost external forces that can be linked with a successful democratic political culture. It is essential for the immigrants to get integrated in the society with active participation. “Successful incorporation into a host society rests not only on employment (economic integration) and civic engagement (political integration), but also on individual commitments to national citizenship, and liberal and social values.” (Goodman 2010). Immigration can be regarded as a threat to the native/majority communities and might trigger perceptions of the weakening of cultural connections and anti-immigration sentiments. These generated perceptions can be blamed on the political elites and institutions for failing to protect the community. Moreover, social trust is related to political trust and a lack of one can cause its effects on the other, which in turn affects the political confidence. “Certain policies on immigration and race relations were developed to maintain electoral support, even at the expense of broader ethical and ideological principles.” (Solomos 2003). Summary From the research analysis, it is evident that the immigration in Britain is of constant increase and the growth of ethnic diversity in the country creates both opportunities and disturbances to the nation. When analyzing the responses of media, community and political forces to immigration, there is an undeniable fact that it impacts the overall view of the immigrants and the society’s perception on immigration. Thus, it is the responsibility of the host community, media reportage as well as the political elites to make adequate measures for enhancing the wellness of the immigrant communities. In order to achieve this position, it is necessary to implement effective media and educational interventions at the local and societal levels. Acceptance and inclusion by the host communities will help in promoting opportunities for the society, in general. Also it will favor in reducing the social threats of insecurity, unemployment and other concerns posed against immigration. From the political front, policies favoring immigration and immigrants are necessary to be implemented. For gaining desired outcomes, it is essential to “include structural social cohesion based on social justice and socio-economic equality, and enhanced political participation for citizens and residents.” (Boucher 2013). However, segregation in the name of race and ethnicity is still prevalent in various sectors of the British society, despite efforts made to mitigate it. “Racial and ethnic background continued to matter a great deal in sorting opportunity structures. This generalization could apply as much to the wider professional labor market as to parliamentary politics as an employment sector.” (Saggar 2013). Furthermore, political context of immigration has to be analyzed by actively opposing the unjust discrimination and racism against the immigrants. On understanding the fears and motives of the host community and policy makers, opportunities and social participation can be initiated. References: Alam, Y and Husband, C., 2013. Islamophobia, Community Cohesion and counter- Terrorism Policies in Britain. Patterns of Prejudice, Vol.47, No.3. Bhavnani, R, Mirza, HS and Meetoo, V., 2003. Tackling the Roots of Racism: Lessons for Success. The Policy Press. Boucher, G., 2013. European social cohesions. Patterns of Prejudice, Vol. 47, No.3, pp.213-234. Castles, S., 1998. New Migrations in the Asia-Pacific region: a Force for Social and Political Change. International Social Science Journal, Vol.50, No.156, pp.215– 227. Castles, S and Miller, MJ., 2009. The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World. Palgrave Macmillan. Coleman, D., 2013. Immigration, Population and Ethnicity: The UK in international Perspective. 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