Centre for Equalities and Social Justice Conference 30 October 2009 :

‘Race’ and Racism in the North East: From Theory to Practice

White Noise, Moral Panics and the Discourse of Antagonism: is this a conducive environment for

learning? A discussion of British Bangladeshi and Pakistani young people’s educational experience and

their negotiation of whiteness.

Gill Crozier

Roehampton University, London

g.crozier@roehampton.ac.uk

Economic and Social Research project 2002-2004

Asian Parents, Students and the School Experience (APSSE) Project

Grant ref: R000239671

http://my.sunderland.ac.uk/web/projects/apsse/ahome

Constructing the Other

Fighting's a huge problem. Gangs, they get themselves into gangs. The boys especially and then take it upon themselves to solve any problems themselves you know. We've had them coming into DT for hammers and all sorts to try and sort things out. So I think it's probably the gangs are fighting, and lack of respect for female teachers, in some of them, not all of them but in some of them

(Design Technology female teacher 15/01/03)

The most recent problem was between the Bengali children themselves. There are two villages between which there is someconflict. It is difficult to understand the motives amongst parents and children. There is a lot of politics amongst the community. (Mr Doors headteacher Uplands, Shipton 6/11/02)

There is a long-running feud between two South Asian families. … Apparently there are ethnic differences: one family or set of families linked to mountain tribesmen and others more mainstream. They won’t let it go. Some pupils have brought weapons to school. There have been fights. The Year 10 and 11 pupils are drawing in the younger pupils. What happens is the younger ones have a tiff and bring in the older brother for support and then the other one brings in the older siblings and it all escalates… . When there’s a problem out of school over the weekend it spills out over into school the following week. Some of the pupils take revenge in school.” ( Mr Lane headteacher Westway, 5/12/03).

Again, I’m not very happy with myself saying it but I think there’s a degree of arrogance coming through with some of the children that we don’t necessarily experience with non-Bangladeshi children, especially when they’re together, and mainly boys, some of the boys ..and that’s definitely on the increase, so, it’s something…(Mrs Frederik, Head of House,

Uplands School,18/12/02)

...I think you get a very different impression as a femaleteacher than you would as a male teacher. I don't think alot of the Asian boys have very much respect for femaleteachers. They don't really like being asked what to do,told what to do from female teachers, and there's adistinct looking straight down at you, from some of them,not from all of them, but from some of them. (Mrs Allinson, Design Technology teacher, Westway School 15/01/03)

GC: Is that the same for the girls? [regarding behaviour and ‘mixing’]

T : Yeah, the girls don't tend to go in for the fighting as much, they go for protective groups. There are pupils who do mix and integrate, on the whole they do integrate but these bigger larger groups are more apparent. The girls hang around in groups and are not necessarily as threatening or apparently as gang like as the boys, basically (Mr Ford, History teacher and head of year, Westway School 15/01/03)

Racial Harassment by White Peers

Boy: Well I think, when we first started in year 7, I’ll take it from year 7 right, racism was a bit of a problem, but anyway [inaudible] so there was no problem by year 9 it was better, but now (Girl: since that ‘Osama Bin Laden’ thing) yeah when that happened, right when that Osama Bin Laden thing happened like it hit year 10; now it’s become to be a real problem now. Girl: And the girls especially, always fighting, arguing.GC: What, the white girls?Boy: Yeah…..Boy: Like I think racism is a really big problem now.GC: So is it from the other kids?All: YeahGirl: It puts us off our education, [and you don’t want to] come to school as well.Boy: Like some of us here are like quite strong individuals but where the weaker individuals I think it could scare [them] from coming to school; at times.

GC: So is it, like this name calling?Boy: Yeah name calling and…Girl: Throwing coins at us….Boy: Yeah throwing coins at us……you know like if we’re in the social area and we put music on they just walk past and switch it off, they do things…Girl: [They] can’t stand it [if we do stuff]Boy: It’s anything we do basically, like if we’re in lessons and we’re like trying, like if the teacher’s asking us questions and we’re trying to like answer yeah, if no-one answers or even if we’re trying anyway, they make remarks like ‘fxxxxxx Paki’s always have to answer, open their mouths’ or whatever’, but we’re just trying.GC: And is it just a few certain ones?Girl: Well it’s most of the girls now, to be honest.Boy: After September 11th I think everyone’s got it in their heart, but I think some people show it more than others, but I think everyone has got it in their heart, that’s what I think…Yeah, because there’s so much happening in the world, the more they listen … they think ‘Pakis’ and then when they come to school and we do anything: ‘Pakis, they’re all the same that’s the way they’re like’. But some people say it to us, some people don’t, some people keep it inside, some people express it to others that’s the way it is.

White Norms and Symbolic Violence

Bourdieu explains symbolic violence as: “….the violence which is exercised upon a social agent with his or her complicity…….social agents are knowing agents who, even when they are subjected to determinisms, contribute to producing the efficacy of that which determines them insofar as they structure what determines them. And it is almost always in the “fit” between determinants and the categories of perception that constitute them as such that the effect of domination arises.” (1992:167-168)(Italics in the original)

White Noise, Moral Panics and the Discourse of Antagonism: is this a conducive environment for learning? A discussion

of British Bangladeshi and Pakistani young people’s educational experience and their negotiation of whiteness.

Gill Crozier

Roehampton University, London

g.crozier@roehampton.ac.uk

www.roehampton.ac.uk