International Migration and Ethnic Relations - Coursework Example

? International Migration and Ethnic Relations Question one According to Goffman, stigma is an attribute used for the description of those who are stigmatised, which is a deeply discrediting attribute (1968, p13). Stigma is a conceptualisation of a group of people, a person, or something such as illness. These people or person is usually made to feel different from other individuals due to attributes that they would do nothing or very little to change like races. Racism is a product of stigma. Stigma changes the way people relate to one another, it may also reflect the way the whole society relates with the stigmatised person or group. The difference has cause from different races or tribes and social classes. This process is all around the way they have exclusion from social activities and interaction. These activities include games like football, hanging out in public places together or even dating. This exclusion is discrimination, prejudice or a process mediated institutionally. Racism in the western culture has a long history and it dates back in time memorial. Designation of racial i.e. terms have been used to disseminate power and in the oppression of people (Goffman, 1963,pg 96). The designation ‘Negro’ was one of the terms used to describe the black Americans. These designations collect a baggage to become terms of discrimination and abuse or one that would otherwise be offensive to the people or person with such reference. In Britain ‘coloured’ is a term used to refer to disparagement of some kind, in Canada, the term ‘people of colour’ is an accepted term to describe certain groups of persons. The designation term ‘black’ used to be a stigma term until the movement of the black power reversed it in the 1960s. People belonging to racial groups or the racial groups themselves are not stigmatised at all, the terms used to describe them is what makes it so stigmatising. The context in which the terms are used is even more discriminating than the term itself. When the term white and non-white are used, the latter term describes something that the former lack. White implies purity in the genetic makeup, with no contamination of the black. Racial difference stigmatisation also has use in other contexts. The term ‘Turk’ also has explanation twice in the English language, a group of turkey or national turkey. Equally, it means someone who is very hard to manage. Our thought may not be as conscious as the dictionary but woven for easy assumption of the meaning of words to refer to one thing to express how we feel about people. Sometimes referring to people as Turk is discriminatory and causes stigma. Racism and discrimination is not hard to identify, it is something that comes up in those who express it as soon as they contact those discriminated against. Something like skin colour e.g. the black and the whites, the black has identification by the eye, not much investigation need implementation to identify the excluded group. This is the reason why racial discrimination is an instant thing. The group of persons discriminated usually do not have a chance to express themselves among other people who do not belong to their own group. They are perceived to be less of importance. Therefore, they do not enjoy opportunities in the current competitive world. Their issues will lack quantification for quality by people who discriminate against them without looking at the fact that they come from a discriminated group (Goffman, 1968). Attributes of stigma, is discrediting and very extensive in nature that it sometimes referred to as a handicap or a shortcoming. It makes up a society that identifies itself socially without giving preference to the virtues of its members ( (Goffman, 1990), pg 11-12). Bibliography Goffman, E. (1990). Management of Spoilt Identity. London: Penguin Books. Goffman, E. (1968). Stigma:Notes on The Management of Spoiled Identity. London: Penguine Publishers. Question two Lentin and historicization of the race Racism dates back from the existence of diversity among humanity. With the creation of nations, people tried to bring boundaries among each other to try to be with one own kind but still racism encroached within the created nations. Racism is part of the various nations all over the world (Lentin 2004, pg 32-35), the nations cannot get rid of the fact that people are diverse but they have to adapt to the diversity that exists within them. Therefore, the perception of individuals about other individuals is what causes racism. On the other hand, racism is an enemy of the development sand the creation of a harmonious society. For the success of nations, racism should get fought with antiracism according to Lentin, he justifies that in order to fight racism, and its history has to be understood d well. The study of the history of racism will help in the revelation of the complexities and the explanation of the adversities associated with it. The nations need to develop a theory that fully understands the culture and the diversity of the people. This can easily let people know what they are dealing with, the pros and the cons associated with it. Historization has implementation with considering the social and the political aspect of the racism. This is because, as Lentin argues, history is political and this aspect needs critical understanding in order to come up with a better solution for racism. In the history of racism, it is also mandatory to understand traditional and modern racism. This is important, considering its practice in the past and its effects compared with the modern racism. This comparison will let the nation understand the direction the racial discrimination is taking, whether it is taking a positive turn or a negative turn on its effects to the present population. The level of racism may be low in the present times compared to the old times, we never know unless we study the past section of it. It may also be getting worse considering the current effects. Thos is why historicization of racism is very important. Anti-racism opposes racism. It is important for the nations to understand why they need to oppose racism. In the analysis of the effects of racism that help us to identify why we need anti-racism, it is necessary to analyse racial effects in a physiological and behavioural manner in individuals and practices identified to express racism. This method covers the political aspect and ideas and this would not easily diminish the effort of the international groups that are working to strengthen the boarders. Anti-racism has been a project of several international organisations especially of the European States. From the post-war era, racism has been isolated as a prejudice behaviour, which had support by the states of the west and international institutions. Later during the demonization process, they decided to establish themselves in an organisation that would protect them from other nations. In the process, a cold war came up and caused several disruptions. The anti-racism was now set up to try to sensitize the nations on the equal treatment of the other races that were not white. The knowledge and ideology of racism had a spread among individuals and nations. Cultural knowledge had spread with the aim of eliminating the individual prejudice and racism. This was so because, before racism spreads among individuals it emanates from within. Hence, individuals had to be knowledgeable enough to deal with the ideology of racism and its content. Anti-colonialist criticization in the nineteen sixties influenced the development of black resistant groups that fought racism in Europe through the United States. Several organisations made up of the black American sprung later to form solidarity and fight racism. On the other hand the white, concentrated on capitalisation of the activities that opposed ant-racism. Anti – racism grew bigger and formed political groups and self help groups (Lentin, 2004, pg 120) Consolidation of state power therefore became more powerful with the anti-racism and nationalism mergence (Lentin & Alana, 2004). Bibliography Lentin, J., & Alana, P. (2004). Racism and Anti Racism in Europe. London: Pluto publishers. Question three As described by Hall, there exists three major ways of reversing stereotypes that aims at gaining control over them. He calls it the transcoding strategy; this is the derivation of a new meaning from an existing meaning such as Black is Beautiful. In the anti-racist movement dating back to 1960s, transposing occurred as a strategy for the acquisition of power. A struggle for representation coupled with difference towards positive attitudes was an affirmation of the black identity culturally. A series of films had use for the expression like the ‘Blaxploitation’. Here the blacks were in a cultural mainstream of vengeance. Black corporality stereotypes were challenged here and they were later replaced by the others like the famous figure of ‘Gangsta’which seems to be very relevant to modern youth culture and music. According to hall, reversion of stereotypes does not give a direct ticket to an overturn. In Sweet back, the negative stereotypes are all made to look like they are positive characteristics. The black hero in the movie became a stud that was loved and helped by fellow blacks. He could easily escape the wrath of the police and even set fire on the police car. A shaft had a black police detective who worked hard under the influence of the black underworld mafia and the militants and he rescued a black daughter. The outstanding scene is where the detective could not defend himself against the whites. He was presented to be living in a good apartment with casual but expensive clothing. The second strategy used by Hall tends to substitute a series of positive images with negative ones. This imagery continues to be used to demonstrate acceptance of differences in representations. The strategy tends to invert the binary oppositions and privileges the subordinates. The Benetton advertising series, ethnic models have been used in the celebration of hybridity. This strategy has a disadvantage of adding positive attributes and images which are not necessary for the displacement of negative. The binaries are obviously challenged in many aspects but are not undermined. In Chris Rock’s comedy show, he describes the four blacks that are living in a prestigious environment. The blacks are not many in such environment; the idea of replacing the positive for negative imagery can be clearly seen. A third counter strategy by Hall is the representation of within. It approaches the different forms of discrimination racially without presenting a new form. This strategy works with the method of shifting the character of meaning and thereafter the struggle of representation sets in and at the same time trying to understand that meaning is never fixed (Hall, 14-17). This strategy will tend to take the body as the main body of presentation and let the other forms of stereotypes work against themselves. Here there is no refusal of power displacement and danger of fetishism, on the other hand it attempts to put into place the ambivalences and desires and at the same time it lays down the social relations and phsic in the cultural representation. This strategy doesn’t mind working with shifting unstable character of meaning and struggle of representation. With the blacks stuck in stereotypical radical gaze, it would be hard to refuse the emotions associated with the sight. It is an elaborate play with the hope of the de-familiarisation and hidden explicit. One of the theoretical questions was simply the excessive performance of the codes of the standard (Hall, 274-273). It is believed that it is possible to change the. The participant is able to step into distance from a field specific standard and cause a change. By the confirmation, the body can disconnect the cultural meaning of what is said in that moment of the resistance through the appropriation of the norms. These historically are pointed negative to historically sedimented effects. Hall gives a clear representation of what the society should do to counter racism. Bibliography Goffman, E. (1990). Management of Spoilt Identity. London: Penguin Books. Goffman, E. (1968). Stigma:Notes on The Management of Spoiled Identity. London: Penguine Publishers. Lentin, J., & Alana, P. (2004). Racism and Anti Racism in Europe. London: Pluto publishers. Read More