How is ethnic identity encouraged through the 6 agents of socialisation

Ghumman found out common ways Asian children are brought up

•       Obedient, loyal and respectful of elders

•       Accept arranged marriage arranged by their parents

•       Respect religion, especially Muslims

•       Respect the mother tongue and are usually bilingual

•       Respect and duty for the elderly and extended kin

Reynolds found;

·         African-Caribbean life in the UK gives young people a strong identity.  Collective and individual African-Caribbean pride is achieved by regularly keeping contact with family in the Caribbean. The ties re-enforced the identity in young people

·         Studies show academic success is important to Indian and Chinese children

·         Ethnic identities can be undermined by the hidden curriculum – history is ethnocentric

·         Faith schools promote a narrow-minded ethnic identity

·         Islam has created a strong ethnic identity for young Pakistani and Bangladeshi youth

·         Jacobson: Some young Pakistanis see being Muslim as more important than being Pakistani or British

·         Sewell: Cultural comfort zone is why some young black boys get involved with gang culture:

1.    Black boys have to deal with a dominant white, middle class culture with a low expectation of black boys

2.    Black boys are often anxious about how their peers perceive them more than their parents (because they usually come from one-parent families) and behaviour that is usually encouraged is non-academic

3.    The cultural comfort zone helps to preserve and develop their ethnic identity in a white majority environment such as developing street language white teachers can’t understand

·         People who have little to no experience of living alongside ethnic minorities look to the media for information about them. If that coverage is negative, racist stereotypes usually develop.

·         Van Dijk: Analysed tens of thousands of news items and found new items usually represent people as criminals, threats to the country, asylum seekers who subscribe to ‘abnormal’ beliefs

·         Best and Kellner: Rap music gives young black people a way to express anger about racism, police harassment and economic deprivation

Parker and Song: New media is used by ethnic minorities to preserve culture e.g. arranged marriage websites

·         A disproportionate number of Africans, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis are in low-paying jobs

·         Hudson: Low-payed ethnic minority workers face a range of discriminatory barriers which stop them from improving their position. They often face bullying and harassment from management or fellow white workers.

·         Rao and Stevenson: Ethnic minorities felt they must work harder and longer than their white colleagues to be considered for promotion

·         Unemployment levels are disproportionately high for ethnic minorities