Researching Race and Ethnicity

Gunaratnam, Yasmin

doi:10.4135/9780857024626

Cited by 464 publications

(179 citation statements)

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“…Some parents also selected skills on their understanding of whether they were easy or difficult to teach. These additional factors support Gunaratnam's (2003) argument that culture cannot be studied in isolation and that other factors need to be considered.…”

Section: Other Factors Influencing the Parents' Perceptionssupporting

confidence: 54%

Cultural basis of social ‘deficits’ in autism spectrum disorders

Perepa

2014

European Journal of Special Needs Education

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There is very little research that specifically looks at how autism spectrum disorders are perceived in various communities. This qualitative research was conducted with parents who had children on the autistic spectrum belonging to four different ethnic communities (White British, Somali, West African and South Asian-63 in total) and living in the UK. The study found that the importance that the parents give to various social skills varied on the basis of their cultural background and the gender of the parent. This is an important aspect to consider while providing support and services to individuals on the autism spectrum and their family members if the services have to be appropriate for their needs. This consideration would also enable the individuals on the autism spectrum to develop appropriate social skills required within their cultural groups. This is a preliminary study and further research on the topic is required.Keywords: autism, social skills, parental perceptions, culture, ethnicity IntroductionAccording to some prevalent studies, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are understood to affect people from all ethnic backgrounds equally (Fombonne et al., 2001). Although diagnostic criteria until recently were underpinned by a 'triad of impairments' (Wing, 1988), the disorder was in practice most typically characterised by difficulties in social interactions (Charman & Stone, 2006). Teaching the 'hidden curriculum' of social skills is considered to be an essential aspect of working with individuals on the autism spectrum.It is argued that social understanding and social development are most affected by cultural factors and that accepted social norms are subject to considerable cultural variation (Dyches et al., 2005). It is possible therefore that there are differences in how 3 a disability is perceived on the basis of the social and cultural milieu of which it is a part (Shakespeare and Watson, 2001;Fletcher & Navarrete, 2003). In fact there have been academics who have argued that disabilities such as learning difficulties, behaviour, emotional and social difficulties are socially constructed (Gabel, 2004;Hatton, 2004;Lindsay, Pather and Strand, 2006) for precisely the same reasons. It has also been suggested that the system of special education is also culturally bound and that parents from minority ethnic communities can feel disenfranchised when they encounter and access such systems (Zionts et al., 2003;Kalyanpur and Harry, 2004). However, such discussions are still relatively new when it comes to autism; and there is very little research on how parents from different cultural backgrounds interpret the defining social behaviours used to identify autism.In this exploratory project, parents of children on the autism spectrum from four different cultural backgrounds in the UK were interviewed to discover how they interpreted the same set of social behaviours, all linked to an autism spectrum diagnosis.It was envisaged that such study could contribute to the emerging discussions about the social construc...

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Section: Other Factors Influencing the Parents' Perceptionssupporting

confidence: 54%

Cultural basis of social ‘deficits’ in autism spectrum disorders

Perepa

2014

European Journal of Special Needs Education

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“…To this Bourdieu later added symbolic capital that represents the translation of any of the above three capitals in order for them to get recognition and legitimacy on the field (Bourdieu and Wacquant, 1992). 3 I am using the term 'race' in quotation marks in order to denote that there are no natural or inner attributes that construct 'race' and racial identities but rather a set of socially ascribed racial characteristics that can take different shapes and forms in different historical and socio-economic contexts (Gunaratnam, 2003). 4 A2 stands for Accession 2 countries (Bulgaria and Romania) that joined the EU in 2007.…”

Section: Limitations and Opportunities For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whiteness, ethnic privilege and migration: a Bourdieuian framework

Samaluk

2014

Journal of Managerial Psych

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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is two-fold. Firstly it offers an innovative conceptual framework for exploring how whiteness shapes ethnic privilege and disadvantage at work.Secondly it offers empirical evidence of the complexity of ethnic privilege and disadvantage explored through experiences of migrant workers from post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) on the UK labour market.Design/methodology/approach: Using a Bourdieuian conceptual framework the paper begins from the historical and macro socio-economic context of EU enlargement eastwards in order to explore whiteness and the complexity of ethnic privilege at work through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 35 Polish and Slovenian migrant workers in the UK. Findings:The findings highlight racial segmentation of the UK labour market, expose various shades of whiteness that affect CEE workers' position and their agency and point to relational and transnational workings of whiteness and their effects on diverse workforce. Research limitations/implications:Research has implications for diversity policies within organisations and wider social implications for building solidarity amongst diverse labour.Future research could increase generalization of findings and further illuminate the complexity of ethnic privilege.Originality/value: The paper contributes to management and organisational literature by offering a Bourdieuian conceptual framework for analysing whiteness and the complexity of ethnic privilege at work. It uncovers intersectional, transnational and relational workings of whiteness that shape ethnic privilege and disadvantage at work and speak of ongoing colonising and racialising processes that are part of contemporary capitalism.

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“…In UK society, there is a silence around Whiteness as a racialised identity to the extent that 'White' is seen simply as normative (Bhavnani, Safia Mirza, and Meetoo 2005). The normativity of Whiteness (its 'misrecognition' in Bourdieusian terms) means that it is necessarily implicated in social power relations (Gunaratnam 2005). Having acknowledged these limitations as areas for future research, this study has raised some important issues regarding the higher education employability agenda.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

A class act? Lecturers’ views on undergraduates’ employability

Morrison

2013

British Journal of Sociology of Education

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This article details the findings of a study into lecturers' perceptions of undergraduate employability. The investigation employed interviews with the staff on a BA (Hons) in Education Studies course at a post-1992 university. The aim was to examine staff beliefs regarding their students' potential employability in the business and finance sectors. The staff believed the degree offered students the opportunity to develop 'transferable' skills that could potentially make them employable in business and finance, thus helping the students develop 'absolute' employability. However, some interviewees also believed the students may encounter class-based disadvantages in the labour market with the result that aspects of the students' 'relative' employability were beyond their capacity to intervene. In light of growing policy pressure upon higher education professionals to 'deliver' increasingly employability-driven curricula, it is concluded that further research is needed into staff perceptions of their roles and capacities within this area.

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Researching Race and Ethnicity

Cited by 464 publications

References 0 publications

Cultural basis of social ‘deficits’ in autism spectrum disorders

Cultural basis of social ‘deficits’ in autism spectrum disorders

Whiteness, ethnic privilege and migration: a Bourdieuian framework

A class act? Lecturers’ views on undergraduates’ employability

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