> Claire Mercer suggested in her email that the debate on racism and
> Eltham 'maybe needs to move away from a rather simplistic focus on
> "place" and to more complex, socially-embedded explanations, and how
> these might differ across space (and time). How can a geographical
> focus on poverty, education, or "social exclusion" help to explain
> the existence of racism?.
>
> I think she is correct. There is surely nothing unique about racism
> in Eltham, although as a place it may well embody a number of
> characteristics which are common to other, similar, areas. It is only
> necessary to look at Chris Husbands work on racism,the National Front
> and the East End of London in the 1980s to realise that Eltham is not
> unique. It has simply come to forefront of public awareness because
> of the Lawrence case. We only need to look back to attitudes to the
> Jewish immigrants in the East End in the 1890s so see that Eltham is
> not unique, either in place or time. Or see Deborah Phillips work on
> racism and housing allocation to Bangladeshi's in Tower Hamlets.
>
> Arguably, some key characteristics of areas where racism is explicit
> are (1)a long established local white working class culture, combined
> with (2) sustained poverty and/ or economic decline (i.e. the Docks),
> and (3) substantial immigration and/or ethnic minority residence into
> the immediate area or the traditional white working class areas from
> which people have moved out. The three characteristics may combine to
> create strong feelings of hostility to migrants or ethnic minority
> groups based, in part, on perceptions that the precarious or marginal
> position of the local white population is 'under threat' from ethnic
> minorities. In other words, racism may be related to economic, social
> and political marginality, though it is obviously not linked to these
> factors alone as middle class racism indicates.
>
> Gary Robson (sociology University East London) has recently completed
> a PhD at Goldsmiths on white working class identity, particularly
> focusing on Milwall football fans, many of whom have migrated out to
> outer SE London or Kent. The thesis is called 'They don't like us, we
> don't care' (Apparently the Milwall fans favourite terrace chant)
>
> ----------------------
> chris hamnett
> [log in to unmask]
>
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chris hamnett
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