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Categories and Group Identities

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The African Diaspora Population in Britain

Part of the book series: Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship ((MDC))

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Abstract

This chapter addresses a number of themes associated with categorisation and group identities. Firstly, census practices are considered with respect to the ethnic group categorisation of Black Africans in the 1991, 2001, and 2011 censuses, what we can learn from census practices in other countries, and approaches to categorising Black Africans in future censuses and surveys. The chapter next examines emerging patterns of national identity as an identity dimension added to the census in 2011, including identity and belonging in Britain and transnational identities. Religion, language, and other identity dimensions are then addressed. Finally, a number of overarching themes relating to ethnic group identity are explored: stability and change in ethnic group identity; group membership and fuzzy boundaries with respect to who is Black African; the acceptability of a colour-based term at the intersection of social categorisation and group identification; how Black Africans identify themselves without prompting by a classification; the concepts of ‘Africanness’ versus ‘blackness’ in categories and group identities; and the concealed heterogeneity in the ‘Black African’ collectivity.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The 2011 Scotland Census asked: What do you feel is your national identity? Tick all that apply. Response options: ‘Scottish’, ‘English’, ‘Welsh’, ‘Northern Irish’, ‘British’, ‘Other, please write in’.

  2. 2.

    ONS. 2011 Census. Table Q5214 England and Wales. National identity (detailed). Local authorities. See also ONS. 2011 Census. Table CT0061. National identity (detailed), London.

  3. 3.

    One of Hickman et al.’s (2008) respondents—a long-term settled, minority ethnic Indian woman in Leicester—made a similar point: ‘Where do I feel I belong? That’s a split between Britain and India. Both places, yeah. That’s why I said that I’m a British Indian’ (p. 168).

  4. 4.

    ONS. 2011 Census. Commissioned tables CT0341 (Religion by ethnic group by main language) and CT0517 (Sex by age by ethnic group by main language).

  5. 5.

    ONS. Table QS204EW. 2011 Census: Main language (detailed). Local Authorities in England and Wales.

  6. 6.

    Charity Commission. Register of Charities.

  7. 7.

    This includes people who selected ‘very well’ or ‘well’ for qn. 19 on the 2011 England and Wales Census form ‘How well can you speak English?’ (very well, well, not well, and not at all). See ONS. Detailed analysis—English language proficiency in England and Wales. Main language and general health characteristics. London: ONS, 2013 (August).

  8. 8.

    Data are not available for Western Sahara as it falls within a heterogeneous ‘rest of the world’ category.

  9. 9.

    Defined here as ‘White English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, and British’ and ‘Other White’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK

    Peter J. Aspinall

  2. Department of Public Health, University of Liverpool in London, London, UK

    Martha J. Chinouya

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  1. Peter J. Aspinall
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Aspinall, P.J., Chinouya, M.J. (2016). Categories and Group Identities. In: The African Diaspora Population in Britain. Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-45654-0_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-45654-0_4

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