3 Race, ethnicity and migration
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Mark Doidge
Abstract
Immigration has been at the centre of political wrangling in the UK and more widely for decades, but even more so since the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, the European refugee ‘crisis’, and increasingly heated national and global debates about the benefits of multicultural societies. Populist movements across Europe and the US have brought to the fore questions about the impact immigration is having on national identity and wellbeing. Campaigns from those on the right of the political spectrum have suggested that immigration detrimentally impacts national security, the healthcare system, the economy and social cohesion. In contrast, studies show positive economic and cultural benefits of migration. This chapter unpicks the current focus on migration and how understanding race and ethnicity is important in a multicultural society.
The Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 EU referendum suggested that ‘Immigration will continue out of control putting public services like the NHS under strain.’ Alongside this, Nigel Farage, then leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), unveiled a ‘Grassroots Out’ campaign poster that showed a long queue of Syrian refugees (that were heading to Germany) with the phrase ‘Breaking Point: the EU has failed us all’. Messages such as this were instrumental in swaying the vote. The EU referendum also revealed the stark polarisation within the UK between its cities and surrounding regions. Areas with foreign-born citizens were congregated around the cities. Yet support for UKIP, a party that was known for its anti-immigration stance, was found in those areas where there were few immigrants This raised the question as to whether fear of immigration and dislike of immigrants is borne of personal experiences so much as negative media discourse.
Abstract
Immigration has been at the centre of political wrangling in the UK and more widely for decades, but even more so since the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, the European refugee ‘crisis’, and increasingly heated national and global debates about the benefits of multicultural societies. Populist movements across Europe and the US have brought to the fore questions about the impact immigration is having on national identity and wellbeing. Campaigns from those on the right of the political spectrum have suggested that immigration detrimentally impacts national security, the healthcare system, the economy and social cohesion. In contrast, studies show positive economic and cultural benefits of migration. This chapter unpicks the current focus on migration and how understanding race and ethnicity is important in a multicultural society.
The Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 EU referendum suggested that ‘Immigration will continue out of control putting public services like the NHS under strain.’ Alongside this, Nigel Farage, then leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), unveiled a ‘Grassroots Out’ campaign poster that showed a long queue of Syrian refugees (that were heading to Germany) with the phrase ‘Breaking Point: the EU has failed us all’. Messages such as this were instrumental in swaying the vote. The EU referendum also revealed the stark polarisation within the UK between its cities and surrounding regions. Areas with foreign-born citizens were congregated around the cities. Yet support for UKIP, a party that was known for its anti-immigration stance, was found in those areas where there were few immigrants This raised the question as to whether fear of immigration and dislike of immigrants is borne of personal experiences so much as negative media discourse.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of boxes and figures v
- About the authors vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction: the sociology of everyday life 1
- Lifestyle and consumption 19
- Race, ethnicity and migration 39
- Class 65
- Gender 85
- Relationships and intimacy 105
- Globalisation and post-industrialisation 125
- The UK in the future 153
- References 159
- Index 169
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of boxes and figures v
- About the authors vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction: the sociology of everyday life 1
- Lifestyle and consumption 19
- Race, ethnicity and migration 39
- Class 65
- Gender 85
- Relationships and intimacy 105
- Globalisation and post-industrialisation 125
- The UK in the future 153
- References 159
- Index 169
