§ 3. The Non-Native British 

   1. Does the problem of ethnic minorities exist in Britain? 

 The long centuries of contact between the peoples of the four nations of the British     Isles means that there is a limit to their significant differences. With minor variations, they look the same, speak the same language, eat the same food, have the same religious heritage (Christianity) and have the same attitudes to the roles of men and women.

  The situation for the several million people in Britain whose family roots lie in the Caribbean or in south Asia or elsewhere in the world is differ­ent. For them, ethnic identity is more than a question of deciding which sports team to support. Non-whites (about 6% of the total British popula­tion) cannot, as white non-English groups can, choose when to advertise their ethnic identity and when not to. 

2. Why do the immigrants from the Caribbean and south Asia have difficulty in mixing up with the rest of people in Britain?

Most non-whites, although themselves born in Britain, have parents who were born outside it. The great wave of immigration from the Caribbean and south Asia took place between 1950 and 1965. These immigrants, especially those from south Asia, brought with them different languages, different religions (Hindu and Muslim) and every­day habits and attitudes that were sometimes radically different from tradi­tional British ones. As they usually married among themselves, these habits and customs have, to some extent, been preserved. For some young people brought up in Britain, this mixed cultural background can create problems. For example, many young Asians resent the fact that their parents expect to have more control over them than most black or white parents expect to have over their children. Nevertheless, they cannot avoid these experienc­es, which therefore make up part of their identity.

As well as this ‘given’ identity, non-white people in Britain often take pride in their cultural roots. This pride seems to be increasing as their cultur­al practices, their everyday habits and attitudes, gradually become less dis­tinctive. Most of the country's non-whites are British citizens. Partly be­cause of this, they are on the way to developing the same kind of division of loyalties and identity that exists for many Irish, Scottish and Welsh people. Pride can increase as a defensive reaction to racial discrimination. There is quite a lot of this in Britain. There are tens of thousands of racially motivat­ed attacks on people every year, including one or two murders. All in all, however, overt racism is not as common as it is in many other parts of Europe. 

Questions:

1. What is the history of immigration to Britain?
2. Why can mixed cultural background create problems''
3. Do you think immigration enriches or restricts national culture? 

Additional Reading                               Ethnic Minorities 

Foreigners have been settling in Britain since the beginning of the century. The number of immigrants was controlled, except for Commonwealth citizens, who, until 1962, were allowed to enter freely. Before the Second World War most of the immigrants came from the old dominions: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. Then in 1952 many immigrants came to Britain from the West Indies, India and Pakistan. They were poor and out of work and had been told there were jobs for them in Britain.

Black and Asian people soon became a familiar sight in every city. Near­ly half the doctors are Asian and many of the nurses in National Health Serv­ice hospitals are black, as are large numbers of bus drivers and conductors. But black immigrants have not had an easy time. Most of them have had to take the lowest paid jobs, and when there is unemployment they are usually the first to be sacked. In spite of laws to protect them, there is still discrimina­tion by some employers, landladies and club owners. Young West Indians who were born in Britain and are British in every respect are especially bitter.

Violent clashes between police and residents of some of the poorest areas of London and Birmingham took place in 1981 and 1985. Over two hundred buildings were either destroyed or damaged in the 1985 riots, nearly four hundred police and firemen were injured and four people died.

Young children don't usually have racial prejudice. They play quite happily together, whatever their background. Most of the Asian and West Indian children in schools are Britons by birth. They have accents of native speakers, and at school they behave like British children in every way. When they grow up and find that they are treated differently from whites, naturally it upsets them very much.

Most people in Britain agree that the National Health Service would be in serious difficulties without its Indian doctors and West Indian nurses! Doctors and nurses are generally respected, because they belong to a re­spected profession.

But the problem still exists. And the way out is to be found. First, the society must get rid of the ghettos. When people of the same race are crowd­ed together in one part of a city, usually in one of the least pleasant districts, they tend to become bitter and feel neglected. The society needs better housing, with blacks and whites living together on the same housing estates. Second, people who settle in a foreign country have got to try and get used to the different way of life in that country. Some parents in Asian communi­ties try to prevent their children from adopting the British way of life. It only makes things harder for them later.

Britain's racial problems are often discussed on radio and television.