In order to analyse the occurrence of racism and racial prejudices in pieces of black British writing, it is important to define these terms at first individually and then in their relation to each other. To subsume immigrants of all ethnic minorities under a generic term the expression ‘black’ emerged in the 1960s and 70s. This term carried significant meaning for a huge group of immigrants as Kobena Merces put it:
When various peoples - of Asian, African, and Caribbean descent - interpellated themselves and each other as /black/ they invoked a collective identity predicated on political and not biological similarities. In other words, the naturalized connotations of the term /black/ were disarticulated out of the dominant codes of racial discourse, and rearticulated as signs of alliance and solidarity among dispersed groups of people sharing common historical experience of British racism.
When the term ‘black’ was arising the main integral parts of its meaning were founded on the common need of a homogenous group of immigrants against a white racial majority in Britain. During the 1980s, however, the meaning of this expression shifted and from then on became an important “political and aesthetic signifier, characterised by difference and alterity”. Stuart Hall stated that at first “‘[t]he Black Experience’, as a singular and unifying framework based on the building up of identity across ethnic and cultural difference between the different communities, became ‘hegemonic’ over other ethnic/racial identities”3but within the following decades the stressing of significant differences within the ethnic communities became increasingly important and Paul Gilroy emphasizes the “demand [of] an alternative formulation - ‘black and Asian’ […] to remind ourselves that by invoking the term ‘black’, we are not ‘Africanizing’ our struggles or declaring everybody to be the same”.
Table of Contents
1 Defining ‘black British writing’
2. Racism in colonial history
2.1 Anxiety-based racism
2.2 Pseudo-scientific and teleological racism
2.3 Evolutionary racism
3 Racism in post-war Britain
3.1 Blacks as criminals
3.2 Blacks as illiterate savages and unskilled workers
3.3 Blacks as a danger to British society, culture and lifestyle
4. Future prospects for racism in Great Britain
Objective & Topics
This academic paper examines the manifestation of racism and racial prejudice within British society, specifically analyzing how these themes are represented in the works "The Train to Walthamstow" by Patrick Wilmot and "Frank Bruno or Salman Rushdie?" by Paul Gilroy.
- Historical development of racism from colonial times to the post-war era
- Analysis of institutionalized racism and media-perpetuated stereotypes
- Social marginalization and the integration challenges of ethnic minorities
- Comparison of assimilation patterns through specific literary characters and real-world figures
- Contemporary shifts in racial discourse regarding cultural differences
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Blacks as criminals
Due to the lack of culture and morals from the British point of view immigrants from ethnic minorities are seen as criminals who commit all sorts of crime passively or actively. Institutionalised racism represented by the police and courts supported this common belief through reports of Blacks who socialize with prostitutes or commit crimes on their own such as violent behaviour and rape. The image of the sex-crazed Black with its long history from colonial times, where Blacks were seen as obsessed with sex due to their mental inferiority, combined with lacking morals, fitted well into these descriptions of crimes. Stuart Hall wrote in his essay “New Ethnicities” that “racism constructs the black subject: noble savage and violent avenger. And in the doubling, fear and desire double for one another and play across the structures of otherness”.
In his short story “The Train to Walthamstow” Patrick Wilmot deals exactly with this image of the sex-obsessed, animal-like beast of Black. The plot takes place in an Underground station in London where a black man approaches two British women in order to ask them where the train to Walthamstow is. The two women, who represent a perfect image of uneducated white working-class women hold a view that is based on prejudices, xenophobia and the convictions that black men are likely to rape white women. The situation is consequently dominated by the lack of communication which finally leads to the death of the black questioner, partly because of the interference of a hysterical crowd and the police who represents institutional racism.
Summary of Chapters
1 Defining ‘black British writing’: This chapter establishes the terminology used throughout the paper, focusing on the shifting political and aesthetic meanings of the terms "black" and "British" in the context of literature.
2. Racism in colonial history: This section explores the historical roots of British racism, detailing how anxiety-based, pseudo-scientific, and evolutionary theories were used to justify colonial exploitation.
3 Racism in post-war Britain: This chapter analyzes the marginalization of immigrants after 1948, focusing on stereotypes regarding criminality, lack of education, and the perceived threat to British culture.
4. Future prospects for racism in Great Britain: The concluding chapter discusses contemporary forms of racism centered on cultural difference and raises concerns about the future integration of diverse ethnic groups.
Keywords
Racism, Black British Writing, Colonial History, Post-war Britain, Immigration, Marginalization, Cultural Difference, Racial Stereotypes, Identity, Integration, Assimilation, Xenophobia, Media Representation, Institutional Racism, Ethnicity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines the persistence of racism in British society and how it is represented in two specific literary works by Patrick Wilmot and Paul Gilroy.
Which central themes are explored in this work?
Key themes include colonial racial history, post-war immigrant marginalization, media-driven stereotypes, and the challenges faced by ethnic minorities regarding social integration.
What is the research goal?
The goal is to analyze how historical and contemporary racial prejudices are constructed, maintained, and reflected within the context of "black British writing."
What methodology does the author use?
The author employs a qualitative literary and socio-historical analysis, drawing on existing sociological theories and evaluating their application to the narratives of Wilmot and Gilroy.
What is addressed in the main body of the text?
The main body moves from the historical origins of racism in colonial times to the post-war experiences of immigrants, structured around specific themes like criminality, lack of education, and the perceived incompatibility of cultures.
Which keywords define this paper?
Major keywords include racism, identity, integration, marginalization, and cultural difference, all within the framework of Britain's multicultural landscape.
How does the author characterize the depiction of black men in Patrick Wilmot's "The Train to Walthamstow"?
The author highlights how the story illustrates the destructive power of racial stereotypes and xenophobia, where a simple inquiry is misinterpreted through the lens of deep-seated prejudices about criminality and sexual aggression.
What is the significance of the comparison between Frank Bruno and Salman Rushdie?
The author uses these figures to explore different modes of "successful" assimilation—one through public charm and perceived "Britishness" (Bruno), and the other through intellectual integration that later becomes a point of contention (Rushdie).
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2005, Racism in Britain on the basis of Patrick Wilmot's "The Train to Walthamstow" and Paul Gilroy's "Frank Bruno or Salman Rushdie?", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/65167
