The Racialization of British Politics

The idea of 'race' was an important part of the post-1945 political and ideological context within which migration from the New Commonwealth began. This is demonstrated by an analysis of an important policy document which provides a foundation upon which to evaluate the character and significance of racism in the subsequent political process. This evaluation contrasts and comments upon rival accounts of the impact of racism offered by writers who have analysed official government files from the period. The paper concludes by arguing against a conception of racism which presumes that it is a constant and unchanging ideological bloc within the British political process.     

ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE AND THE LARGER ATTITUDE COMPLEX

Growing concern with the effect of negative public attitudes toward the police on police-community polarization and morale and effectiveness has led to numerous efforts to improve the image of the policeman and to facilitate more positive relationships with the community. It is proposed that the eflectiveness of such programs is hindered by their failure to consider that public attitudes toward the police do not exist in isolation, but are a part of a broader complex of attitudes toward the system of legal justice and its various representatives. Data from four different samples of residents of a western state provide some tentative support for this hypothesis. Implications of the data for programs designed to improve police-community relationships are discussed.     

Two Aspects of Rhodesian Economy: 1. Africa's Industrial Revolution

These two articles in a sense complement each other: the firstis the greater part of the lantern lecture by the British industrialiston the 26th November, the second by a man who saw war-servicein Eastern and Central Africa, and is keenly concerned for humanrelations there.     

Neighbourhood Ethnic Diversity and Orientations Toward Muslims in Britain: The Role of Intergroup Contact

A persistent theme in the British and international debates about immigration and diversity is the controversial claim that living in diverse areas has negative consequences for intergroup attitudes and community relations. In the present paper we test this claim by investigating the impact of neighbourhood diversity and self‐reported intergroup contact on orientations (outgroup attitudes and social distance) toward one religious outgroup: Muslims. Respondents were both White British majority (N=867) and non‐Muslim ethnic minority (N=567) residents of neighbourhoods in England which varied in their proportion of ethnic minority residents. We tested both direct and indirect (via intergroup contact) effects of diversity on outgroup orientations toward Muslims. Results show that individuals living in more ethnically diverse areas—regardless of whether they are White British members of the majority or non‐Muslim members of ethnic minorities—have more positive contact with Muslims, with positive consequences for intergroup relations with Muslims.     

THE CREOLE MALAISE IN MAURITIUS

Although they are the most geographically close to their continentof origin, the African diasporas of the Indian Ocean are amongthe most culturally remote from it. In Mauritius, where a highlydeveloped form of multicultural pluralism has become the modusvivendi of the ‘rainbow society’, Creoles of Africandescent have developed the weakest sense of group identity amongthe various components of island society. Yet for that veryreason Creoles are arguably the ‘most Mauritian’of islanders: they alone trace their origins and ancestral languagepurely to their island of birth. In a society where the senseof nationhood is so weak this may be more of a handicap thanan asset. Only in recent years has a sense of Creoleness begun to develop,one which incorporates Africanity. The Creole programme includesa reinterpretation of the meaning of slavery in modern societyand attempts to give the anniversary of abolition the statusof a national holiday. It also encourages the recognition ofAfrican folkways in island culture. It does so, however, inthe face of anti-African prejudices, shared by many Creolesthemselves. Extension of nascent trade and business linkageswith the African mainland is critical to correcting the currentCreole malaise.