Patterns of minority and majority identification in a multicultural society

Nandi, Alita and Platt, Lucinda (2015) Patterns of minority and majority identification in a multicultural society. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 38 (15). pp. 2615-2634. ISSN 0141-9870

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Abstract

There has been increasing investigation of the national and ethnic identification of minority populations in Western societies and how far they raise questions about the success or failure of multicultural societies. Much of the political and academic discussion has, however, been premised on two assumptions. First that ethnic minority and national identification are mutually exclusive, and secondly that national identification represents an overarching majority identity, which represents consensus values. In this paper, using a large-scale nationally representative UK survey with a varied set of identity questions, and drawing on an extension of Berry’s acculturation framework, we empirically test these two assumptions. We find that, among minorities, strong British national and minority identities often coincide and are not on an opposing axis. We also find that adherence to a British national identity shows cleavages within the White majority population. We further identify variation in these patterns by generation and political orientation.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rers20
Additional Information:	© 2015 Taylor & Francis
Library of Congress subject classification:	H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Sets:	Departments > Social Policy
Date Deposited:	19 Jun 2015 10:42
URL:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/62361/

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