Policy Press
Six Who are we now? Local history, industrial decline and ethnic diversity
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Abstract
This chapter challenges what might be called a ‘local history paradigm’, whereby immigration to Britain and the decline of industry are linked and local history is considered to ‘end’ in the 1980s. It explores representations of past and present in Rotherham, and draws on examples of heritage projects undertaken there by people from minority ethnic communities. This chapter emerged from the experience of many of the participants living in and researching the town during the child sexual exploitation scandal. Nonetheless, while about Rotherham, its interpretation might be applicable to a variety of post-industrial towns and cities in northern England and elsewhere. The chapter also considers ways in which the heritage projects add to the local history narrative of the town.
Abstract
This chapter challenges what might be called a ‘local history paradigm’, whereby immigration to Britain and the decline of industry are linked and local history is considered to ‘end’ in the 1980s. It explores representations of past and present in Rotherham, and draws on examples of heritage projects undertaken there by people from minority ethnic communities. This chapter emerged from the experience of many of the participants living in and researching the town during the child sexual exploitation scandal. Nonetheless, while about Rotherham, its interpretation might be applicable to a variety of post-industrial towns and cities in northern England and elsewhere. The chapter also considers ways in which the heritage projects add to the local history narrative of the town.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Acknowledgements xii
- Series editors’ foreword xiv
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Introductions
- What kind of book is this? 3
- Policy, practice and racism: social cohesion in action 7
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Community histories
- Introducing Rotherham 17
- How can historical knowledge help us to make sense of communities like Rotherham? 29
- Some poems, a song and a prose piece 33
- Who are we now? Local history, industrial decline and ethnic diversity 41
- Silk and steel 53
- History and co-production in the home: documents, artefacts and migrant identities in Rotherham 59
- Tassibee: a case study 69
- Identity 73
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Community ways of knowing
- Methodology: an introduction 87
- Collaborative ethnography in context 91
- Safe spaces and community activism 107
- Emotions in community research 115
- What parents know: a call for realistic accounts of parenting young children 123
- Where I come from and where I’m going to: exploring identity, hopes and futures with Roma girls in Rotherham 135
- Introduction to artistic methods for understanding contested communities 151
- What can art do? Artistic approaches to community experiences 157
- Using poetry to engage the voices of women and girls in research 173
- The Tassibee ‘Skin and Spirit’ project 183
- ‘The Rotherham project’: young men represent themselves and their town 193
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Communities going forward
- Re-imagining contested communities: implications for policy research 201
- What this book can teach us 205
- References 215
- Index 231
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Acknowledgements xii
- Series editors’ foreword xiv
-
Introductions
- What kind of book is this? 3
- Policy, practice and racism: social cohesion in action 7
-
Community histories
- Introducing Rotherham 17
- How can historical knowledge help us to make sense of communities like Rotherham? 29
- Some poems, a song and a prose piece 33
- Who are we now? Local history, industrial decline and ethnic diversity 41
- Silk and steel 53
- History and co-production in the home: documents, artefacts and migrant identities in Rotherham 59
- Tassibee: a case study 69
- Identity 73
-
Community ways of knowing
- Methodology: an introduction 87
- Collaborative ethnography in context 91
- Safe spaces and community activism 107
- Emotions in community research 115
- What parents know: a call for realistic accounts of parenting young children 123
- Where I come from and where I’m going to: exploring identity, hopes and futures with Roma girls in Rotherham 135
- Introduction to artistic methods for understanding contested communities 151
- What can art do? Artistic approaches to community experiences 157
- Using poetry to engage the voices of women and girls in research 173
- The Tassibee ‘Skin and Spirit’ project 183
- ‘The Rotherham project’: young men represent themselves and their town 193
-
Communities going forward
- Re-imagining contested communities: implications for policy research 201
- What this book can teach us 205
- References 215
- Index 231
