Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (JEMS)
ISSN 1369-183X

Volume 24 Number 3 July 1998

Articles
Research note
Report
Reviews
Abstracts

Articles

Research note

Report

Reviews

Books received, to June 1998

Abstracts

Policing the community: the impact of national identity cards in the European Union
Adrian Beck and Kate Broadhurst

Abstract For most citizens living in the European Union, the carrying of a national identity card has become an accepted part of life, but in the UK it has been at the centre of an ongoing and controversial debate. This article explores the potential effect the introduction of a national identity card scheme in the UK may have on the relationship between the police and ethnic minority groups and examines the significance of the scheme being voluntary or compulsory. It draws on the experiences of other EU countries, focusing particularly on France, Germany and the Netherlands, and suggests that the use of identity checks by police officers and other official agencies impacts disproportionately on ethnic minority groups. It goes on to conclude that the degree of compulsion to carry the card is of less importance than the nature of the accompanying legislation and that identity cards can be used as a means to harass and inconvenience those who do not share the characteristics of the host nation.

(Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Vol. 24 No. 3: 413–431, © 1998 Taylor & Francis Ltd.)

Community relations in Northern Ireland: lessons from Drumcree
Joanne Hughes

Abstract The last ten years have seen a concerted effort on the part of policy makers in Northern Ireland to address the community relations problem. Ostensibly, there have been significant achievements with a community relations infrastructure now well established and augmented by relevant policy and legislation. Despite this, a consequence of contentious Orange Order parades during the last three summers has been an upsurge in sectarianism and intimidation reminiscent of the worst periods in the troubled history of Northern Ireland. Community relations practitioners and professionals have been the target for much criticism, directed mainly at the effectiveness of the cross-community initiatives which they have supported. This article examines approaches to community relations in Northern Ireland in the light of these criticisms. On the basis of social psychology and theories of intergroup behaviour, it argues that most interventions currently supported do make some contribution towards improving relations between Protestants and Catholics. The evidence presented suggests that the degree of success may be determined by the ability of the facilitator to devise programmes which reflect the potential of the participants to engage in productive intergroup activity. The conclusion argues that the criticisms which followed Drumcree and the Orange parades may relate less to the nature of current provision than to the profile of individuals excluded from community relations activity. Against this background, a case is made for intragroup projects as a first step in engaging those who, because of deep-seated prejudice and political/religious extremism, are unlikely to benefit from community relations projects which tend to have an intergroup focus.

(Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Vol. 24 No. 3: 433–450, © 1998 Taylor & Francis Ltd.)

National identity: a comparison of Sweden, Germany and Australia
Mikael Hjerm

Abstract This article compares three countries with different policy regimes in the area of citizenship and immigration, namely Australia, Germany and Sweden. Australia is here defined as multicultural, Germany as ‘ethnic’ and Sweden as semi-multicultural. The aim is to see, first, if differences in policy regimes are reflected in the attitudes of national identity amongst the citizens, and second, to assess the effects different forms of national identity have on xenophobia. The conclusions are, first, that in spite of different policy regimes, national identity is constituted in similar ways in the three countries and, second, that the common subdivision of national identity into an ‘ethnic’ and a civic part may warrant reconsideration. Third, different types of national identity appear to affect xenophobia similarly in all the three countries under examination, namely in a way which supports the common assumption that civic identities are preferable to ethnic ones.

(Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Vol. 24 No. 3: 451–469, © 1998 Taylor & Francis Ltd.)

Diasporic mobilisation and the Kashmir issue in British politics
Patricia Ellis and Zafar Khan

Abstract The Kashmiri population in Britain has developed a political presence which has had an influence on British politics and parliamentary activity. This phenomenon not only demonstrates the complexities of 'ethnic politics', but also the involvement with issues outside of the domestic arena of British politics. Along with other South Asian populations, the Kashmiris have become a fast growing and concentrated electorate within the older urban areas of Britain, and therefore of importance to the political parties. However, the political activity within this group has been focused primarily on the external situation of the unresolved Kashmir dispute. Kashmiris believe that the past colonial involvement confers a moral obligation upon Britain to take action in this dispute. The oppressive actions by the Indian state in Kashmir over the recent years have increased these political pressures. One significant outcome has been the formation of the All Party Kashmir Parliamentary Group, and the associated tabling of questions and laying down of Early Day Motions. Shifts can be seen in statements made on foreign policy, particularly by the Labour Party, in response to these activities on the part of the Kashmiri population. How promises are honoured will affect the future dynamics of the relationship between Kashmiri politics and parliament.

(Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Vol. 24 No. 3: 471–488, © 1998 Taylor & Francis Ltd.)

Unemployment and earnings among Britain's ethnic minorities: some signs for optimism
Derek Leslie, Stephen Drinkwater and Nigel O'Leary

Abstract Using individual data from the 1991 Census and the Labour Force Survey, this article investigates earnings and unemployment disadvantages among Britain's ethnic minorities for males and females. The key point is to distinguish those born in Britain from those born abroad. UK-born members of the ethnic minorities have better earnings prospects, whereas unemployment rates remain high for the UK-born group. The policy implication is to concentrate on putting people into jobs, more so than concentrating upon pay discrimination in work.

(Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Vol. 24 No. 3: 489–506, © 1998 Taylor & Francis Ltd.)

Death, burial and bereavement amongst Bengali Muslims in Tower Hamlets, East London
Katy Gardner

Abstract This article discusses the circumstances surrounding death and bereavement amongst Bengali families in East London. Based on fieldwork amongst Bengali elders in the Spitalfields area the article suggests that death and some of the rituals surrounding it are rapidly moving from the private to the public domain within Britain. Whilst ‘traditionally’ in Sylhet most deaths involve the mobilisation of locally based social networks for support and ritual, material and social factors mean that in London death often takes place within hospitals and hospices rather than homes. Combined with this, rituals of bereavement are often carried out in Bangladesh, where bodies are returned for burial. This can mean that some members of the family, especially widows who do not usually accompany their husbands’ bodies to Sylhet, are excluded from important processes of ritual grieving. Many widows are also far more socially isolated in Britain than stereotypic images of Bengali extended families might suggest. The situation is not, however, static. Within the context of rapid social and cultural change and the ‘Islamisation’ of some parts of London’s East End, Muslim cemetaries are becoming established, and the ritual centre increasingly moving from Bangladesh to Britain.

(Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Vol. 24 No. 3: 507-521, © 1998 Taylor & Francis Ltd.)

A model for immigrants? The Swedish corporate model and the prevention of ethnic discrimination
Mark Graham and Maritta Soininen

Abstract Sweden's immigrant policy has often been presented as an ideal in terms of the formal rights and protection it grants immigrants. Yet Sweden did not have a comprehensive law against ethnic discrimination in the labour market until 1994. This article argues that the reason for the delay in legislating against ethnic discrimination and the nature of the eventual legislation lie in the way that the Swedish policy-making process has traditionally worked. The article raises doubts about whether the corporate model's ability to protect specific immigrant interests is inherently superior to that of other policy-making models. We suggest that the Swedish corporate model, because of its fundamentally class-based nature, has not proved adequate to the task of dealing with the ethnically-based interests of immigrants.

(Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Vol. 24 No. 3: 523–539, © 1998 Taylor & Francis Ltd.)

The effect of housing construction on population migrations in Israel
Boris A. Portnov

Abstract Population migrations in Israel simultaneously move in two opposite directions: while the initial distribution of new immigrants is primarily focused on big cities of the country’s central core, the existing population of these centres tends to move outward, to small settlements where housing is more readily available. The effect of housing construction on population migrations appears to be delayed and tends to become visible with the passage of time. The initial low attractiveness of urban settlements in peripheral districts of the country to the new immigrants is mainly caused by small size of the population in the settlements and an inferior state of urban development rather than by a lack of new housing or the harsh climatic conditions of these areas.

(Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Vol. 24 No. 3: 541–559, © 1998 Taylor & Francis Ltd.)