Ethnicité et ‘race’. Séminaire MIM. séance 4

• Ludi Simpson (Reader in Social Statistics, University of Manchester), "Measuring ethnic group in the UK: why, how, with what benefits and with what dangers?"

In 1966, the UK Chief Statistician stated that ethnic group could not be collected in a census. Since then, legislation against racial discrimination and recognition of specific cultural service needs have led to two censuses in Britain collecting ’ethnic group’. Its recording is now commonplace in UK employment and public administration. However, measurement is still disputed and criticised. Collection instruments and analytical methods have recognised that ethnicity is socially constructed. Categories are unstable over time both in the sense that government priorities develop, and in the sense that individuals’ identity changes. Cultural identity measures are not wholly reliable. Discrimination may have reduced, but there is little evidence to show this. A current emphasis within mainstream western politics on the threat of some cultural differences has given a new and less positive interpretation of ethnic social differences. A review of these issues for the UK intends to clarify the more general circumstances under which statistical collection of ethnicity, religion and other markers of cultural identity is appropriate.

• Miri Song (Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Kent, Canterbury), "The ethnic options of the ‘mixed race’ population in Britain"

While over 670,000 people chose to identify with the new ‘mixed’ categories in the 2001 UK Census, relatively little is still known about ‘mixed race’ people in Britain. For instance, little is known about how the experiences of different types of ‘mixed’ people may vary, in terms of the choices they perceive and make about their ethnic and racial identities, and in terms of their perceptions and experiences of racial prejudice and discrimination. For instance, how may someone who is Chinese/English differ in their perceived ethnic options from someone who is Black Caribbean/English, and how may their ethnic and racial identification be shaped by their sex, class background, physical appearance, ethnic composition of their neighbourhoods, etc.? In this talk, I will describe the comparative project my colleagues and I are undertaking. While we cannot report any findings yet, I will discuss some emerging themes/patterns. I will also discuss the political and policy implications of research investigating the ethnic options and experiences of diverse kinds of ‘mixed race’ people

Discutant : John Crowley (CERI-Sciences Po)

Entrée libre dans la limite des places disponibles. Contact : Patrick Simon (simon@ined.fr), Valérie Sala Pala (vsalapala@aol.com).