Between the Lines: Contours of Nation, Multiculture and Race Equality in Policy Discourse in the New Labour Period
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The London School of Economics and Political Science Between the lines: Contours of nation, multiculture and race equality in policy discourse in the New Labour period A thesis submitted to the Department of Sociology of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, December 2013 Sanjiv Lingayah 1 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 80,186 words. Statement of use of third party for editorial help (if applicable) I can confirm that my thesis was copy edited for conventions of language, spelling and grammar by Tugrul Marashli and Sangeeta Sooriah. 2 Abstract This thesis examines how New Labour policymakers and Black and Minority Ethnic (BME)- led race equality organisations articulated and connected themes of nation, multiculture and ‘race’ equality in policy discourse and discussions over the New Labour period. My study extends previous accounts of New Labour and multicultural discourses by incorporating the significant, but not always influential, role of BME civil society actors in such policy discussions. My research draws on documents and archival material from and interviews with policymakers and race equality actors. I analyse this data using a qualitative thematic approach to discern changing policy discourses and claims about the state of the multicultural nation and the place of race equality within it. In the study I suggest that, after a promising start, New Labour policymakers came to understand the relationship between nation, multiculture and race equality as a troubled and troubling one. At the same time, the three BME-led race equality organisations that I focus on in my research struggled to counter government discourses of parallel lives, community cohesion and Britishness that were detrimental to efforts to combat race inequality. Policy and policy discursive interventions of BME-led race equality organisations were thrown off course not only by New Labour but also by ‘new ethnicities’, and the idea of complex and diverse ‘BMEness’. BME-led organisations have struggled to engage with this latter destabilisation, let alone develop a politics capable of overcoming such issues. I therefore end my thesis by suggesting that, if BME-led race equality organisations are to shape policy debates on race equality, there is much hard labour and re-thinking about BMEness and re-organising for them still to do. 3 Acknowledgements This PhD is dedicated to the memory of Dr Bala Lingiah and Vishnoo Yellappa. This PhD could not have been completed without the support of numerous people. I want to first and foremost thank Claire Alexander, my lead supervisor, for her brilliant support, insights and for her patience. Also, I would like to thank Suki Ali, my co- supervisor, particularly for her help to clarify my conceptual and methodological thinking. Thanks also to Paul Gilroy for his generous guidance along the way and, similarly, Fran Tonkiss was also extremely helpful and encouraging. I want to thank my various colleagues in academic life, including all those involved in the ‘Race’, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Network. I owe much to friends and colleagues at LSE Sociology, especially roommates from S201. I am very grateful to Malcolm James and Naaz Rashid for their friendship and support. I would also like to thank Lena Karamanidou, Jesse Potter and Jill Timms. I would like to express my appreciation to all my interviewees involved in my research and to the staff and volunteers of Black Training and Enterprise Group, Operation Black Vote, Race on the Agenda, and Runnymede Trust for providing access to their archives. Special thanks go to Stephen Thake for so many things, including opening my mind to what it means to be an ‘engaged’ researcher. Thanks are also due to Vandna Gohil, former Chief Executive at Voice4Change England, for giving me an opportunity to explore issues of race equality in the first place. I would like to thank my mum and dad for encouraging my studies and the pursuit of knowledge. Thanks too to Maman for her years of care and affection. I’d like to thank my brother-in-law Daram Sooriah and my sister Sangeeta Sooriah for their help; in Sangeeta’s 4 case with the arduous task of proof-reading. I also need to express my deepest gratitude to Tugrul Marashli for proof-reading and providing the escape of Sunday football on Sky TV. I am also grateful to Robert Cord for his support and advice. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation; the London School of Economics; and Voice4Change England for their financial support without which I could not have undertaken this study. Special thanks also go to John Gordon. Most of all I would like to thank Suyin Looui for her love, patience and help. 5 Table of contents Declaration ........................................................................................................................ 2 Abstract ............................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 4 Table of contents .............................................................................................................. 6 Chapter 1 Introduction: Locating and undertaking the study .......................................... 9 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................9 1.1 Research questions ....................................................................................................... 10 2 (New) Labour and the politics of multiculture and race equality ........................................ 12 3 Three colours black .............................................................................................................. 20 3.1 Black Training and Enterprise Group ............................................................................ 21 3.2 Operation Black Vote .................................................................................................... 23 3.3 Race on the Agenda ...................................................................................................... 25 4 Undertaking the research .................................................................................................... 27 4.1 Bounding themes and the body of data ....................................................................... 27 4.2 Accessing and gathering data ....................................................................................... 29 4.3 Preparing, sorting and analysing data........................................................................... 34 4.4 Ethical issues, disclosures and positionalities ............................................................... 37 5 Conclusions .......................................................................................................................... 41 5.1 Chapter summaries ....................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 2 Landscaping the field: nation, multiculture and BME organising .................. 44 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 44 2 Nations: something old and something new ....................................................................... 44 2.1 The state and the nation ............................................................................................... 48 3 Multiculture and the naming of difference ......................................................................... 51 3.1 Multiculturalism ............................................................................................................ 53 4 BME organising .................................................................................................................... 58 4.1 Towards a black politics ................................................................................................ 58 6 4.2 Moving back from black ................................................................................................ 61 4.3 New ethnicities ............................................................................................................. 62 4.4 Objections to black/BMEness ....................................................................................... 65 4.5 BME politics and the state ............................................................................................ 68 5 Conclusions: Drawing the line – nation, multiculture and BME organising ........................ 71 Chapter 3 Towards proportional multiculture ................................................................ 73 1 Introduction