Michael Roberts
After I presented my late departed sister Audrey Maxwell’s study, one presented in a book oAudrey Mugn Cross-Cultural Marriage edited by Rosemary Breger & Rosanna Hill [1998, Oxford, Berg] in TPS, I moved on to ……..
Audrey Mug A ] https://thuppahis.com/2024/10/31/addressing-audrey-maxwells-research-on-cross-cultural-marriages-in-englan/
AUDREY Mug shots B] and circulated an invitation to scholars and friends in Britain seeking critical thoughts on her study and/or reflections on relations between coloured immigants people and dinky-die BriA tons today; see ………………………………. https://thuppahis.com/2024/10/31/ag-audrey-maxwells-research-on-cross-cultural-marriages-in-englan/
That was only a few weeks back; but the responses have been nearly nought. However, Mick Moore, a semi-retired scholar in Sussex, has responded with a thoughtful piece — which I present today in the hope that more items will follow.
RESPONSE: A MEMO from M. P. ‘Mick’ Moore in Sussex, United Kingdom, 31 October 2024
Michael,
Thanks. Very interesting. My comments are more those of an aware white male Brit than someone who has been in two ‘cross-cultural’ marriages with women of Indian origin sequentially for over 50 years; and has two ‘mixed-race’ sons (now middle-aged) and a teenage grand-daughter who identifies as ‘brown’ – although the latter obviously shape my views.
I would be very surprised if the other evidence does not confirm Audrey’s finding that experiences correlate strongly with socio-economic class. That is very much my impression. The main exception is probably where white parents adopted non-white children. This seems to have been near-universally very problematic for both the children and the parents – at least for those adoptions that took place a few decades ago. Several of my friends and acquaintances, who believed they were doing the right thing, have been adversely affected. I think we have learned, and cross-cultural adoptions are now less common.
To the extent that cross-cultural adoptions are taking place today, my guess is that they are now less problematic. That is because I would describe the situation as ‘transformed’ compared to 30 years ago. That is not to underplay severe continuing problems, especially from the white (male) populations of economically and socially severely disadvantaged localities (unemployment, poor education, drugs, poor public transport). But otherwise:
- ‘Mixed’ race people are the fastest-growing component of the population, to the extent that the Caribbean-origin population seems to be melting away in many places. (South Asians do not inter-marry etc quite so readily).
- That is associated with a spread of non-white/mixed race people out of urban quasi-ghettos into suburban areas and small towns. That is especially evident in (relatively affluent and attractive) Brighton where I live. When I first came here with a non-white wife 55 years ago, we were aware of only one other non-white family for about a mile around. Now a very diverse set of non-white/mixed race people, often from South London, take us close to the national average of 12-15%. Non-white local councillors are about the population proportion in Brighton and Hove. The Mayor is of Bangladeshi origin, and the Council Leader’s father is Nigerian.
- By most measures, virtually all categories of non-white pupils do better in school that whites, especially white working-class boys.
- On TV and in advertisements and similar places, non-whites seem to be around the population proportion, if not higher.
- The recent leadership of the Conservative Party has been disproportionately non-white, including a number of women married to non-white men.
This is not to deny, for example, that the Police are often still institutionally racist. But even that is much less severe than 30-50 years ago.
Overall, and especially when compared to any other European country except Scotland, which is even better, England is looking very good on ethnicity issues.
Regards, Mick
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ALSO NOTE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Moore_(political_economist)
Moore, M. (2004). Revenues, state formation, and the quality of governance in developing countries. International Political Science Review, 25(3), 297-319. [15]
Moore, M. (1990). Economic liberalization versus political pluralism in Sri Lanka?. Modern Asian Studies, 24(02), 341-383.