The Racialisation of Names: Names and the Persistence of Racism in the Uk
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THE RACIALISATION OF NAMES: NAMES AND THE PERSISTENCE OF RACISM IN THE UK Emily Jay Wykes BA (Hons), MA Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2013 What's in a name? – There's lots in my name: Three African syllables tossed in my name: Many refugees fleeing gunshots in my name - One father, to us long lost, in my name... Some people frown when they jot down my name: And often the spelling is botched of my name - I forgive them. Its rhythm was born not on this plain But one where the sun soothes the crops with its rays. We have achieved lots with my name: There are poets, musicians, doctors with my name: A name some find odd, but I bear not with shame But as proudly as some wear a cross on a chain. (Musa Okwonga) 1 ABSTRACT This thesis argues that despite claims that the UK is a post-racial society, (sur)names are understood in a racialised way. 31 semi-structured interviews and one survey- based interview were conducted. 29 of the 32 participants had changed their surname from one they perceived to be symbolically representative of their own embodied racial identity to one that they felt was not, or vice versa. This thesis claims that some (sur)names are socially constructed as invisible and normal, i.e. white British, whilst ‘Other’ names are deemed foreign and highly conspicuous. It is asserted that (sur)names inform stereotypes of a person’s embodied racial appearance. The confusion and intense interest encountered by the name-changers in relation to a perceived disjuncture between their embodied racial identity and the racialised categorisation of their name, exposes processes of racialisation. Name, embodied racial appearance and accent interact in different ways and contexts in deciding how a person is racialised and what their access is to the privilege associated with the majority identity of white Britishness. It is suggested that names are racially hierarchized according to the racial and/or national identity that the name is seen to represent. The thesis uses literature on race, racism, whiteness, racial passing, inbetween people and nationalism, in order to explore the racist and nationalist undertones of many participants’ encounters in regard to a racial disjuncture between name and body. Whilst supporting the point that race is a social construction rather than biological fact, the thesis nonetheless asserts that difference is conceived not just in terms of culture but in relation to embodied notions of race. Names should be acknowledged as being an important marker of biological conceptions of race. Race is still common currency in the UK, and this matters because power is differentially attributed within racialisation processes. Racism is not over. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would particularly like to thank those who participated in this project. Without their selfless contributions this research would not have been possible. I am deeply grateful to my two supervisors, Davide Però and Esther Bott for their scholarly insights and contributions, honest feedback, and valuable support. Thank you. I would like to say thank you to my friends, especially Diane Trusson, for their belief in my project and help in various ways. Many thanks to Alison Haigh for her beyond-the-call-of-duty administrative provision. I would also like to acknowledge my parents, Margaret and Brian, for their inestimable love and friendship. ‘Home is the starting place of love and dreams’. A special ‘ose gan’ to my inspirational partner in thoughts, love and friendship: David. There is only ever one set of footprints in the sand. I would especially like to dedicate this thesis to my Granny, who encouraged and inspired me. Finally, thanks be to GOD. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................ 4 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCING THE RESEARCH ................................................... 6 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 6 The End of Multiculturalism, the Introduction of Neo-Assimilationism and Refutations of Racism ............................................................................................. 7 Names and Racialisation ...................................................................................... 16 A History of Name-Changing ................................................................................ 18 Attitudes Towards Names as Expressed in the UK Media ................................ 24 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 27 My Terminology of Names .................................................................................... 30 The Thesis’ Structure ............................................................................................ 31 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................. 34 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 34 The Socially Constructed Nature of Race and the Notion of Racial Hierarchies ................................................................................................................................. 35 National Perpetrations of Race, Racism and Nationalism ................................. 39 Cultural Racism ..................................................................................................... 44 The Notion that Racism has Ended ..................................................................... 48 Power: Why Race Matters, and Whiteness ......................................................... 51 Inbetween People .................................................................................................. 58 Racialisation Processes and Embodied Understandings of Race ................... 60 Identity and Racial Passing .................................................................................. 62 Linking the Above Existing Theories to Names: Correspondence Test Research and Other Research on Name Discrimination ................................... 68 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN ................................................................. 73 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 73 Study Design .......................................................................................................... 73 Interpretivist Epistemology .................................................................................. 75 Influence of Feminist Epistemologies ................................................................. 78 Sample, Method of Data Collection and Data Analysis ..................................... 79 Sample ................................................................................................................. 79 Interviews ............................................................................................................. 83 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 88 Being Reflexive about my Research Approach .................................................. 91 Ethics ...................................................................................................................... 97 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 102 CHAPTER FOUR: THE EMBODIED AND DISEMBODIED RACIALISATION OF (SUR)NAMES ........................................................................................................... 103 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 103 Racialised Disparity Between (Sur)names and Body ...................................... 104 Racialised Disparity Between (Sur)names and Accent ................................... 115 Racialised Understanding of Inner Characteristics Based Upon (Sur)names ............................................................................................................................... 118 Foreign Surnames Equated to Participant’s Embodied Racial Identity Rather than to Marital Name-Change ............................................................................. 124 Extreme Reactions Towards a Disjuncture of Racialised (Sur)names and Body ............................................................................................................................... 126 The Interaction of Accent, Body and (Sur)name in Determining Participants’ Access (or Not) to White British Privilege: their Inbetween Status. ............... 134 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 143 CHAPTER FIVE: NO END TO RACISM – (SUR)NAMES AND DISCRIMINATION 145 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 145 4 No End to Racism: Racist Incidents in Relation to (Sur)names ...................... 145 Family and Friends’ Reactions 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