Hi: I think Simon is more correct. I grew up in the UK. I did for a brief time belong to the Black Workers League. & in this matter, Joe is right - in that the more politically aware did 'conglomerate' themselves into a larger grouping. Even there, many of us called ourselves "Browns". In any case, as I recall it the characterisation of Asians or Pakis as "Black" - was unusual in the extreme. My recollection of Indian communities in the UK was that they definitely identified themselves as either Indian Bangla Deshi or Pakistani or Sikhs. Black was unusual as a an identifier. I think that is the case even now, as I return to my family fairly often. I think the recent film (excellent) called "Bhajii on the Beach" - might display the lingering racisms in the Asian community that prevent a wholehearted identification with "blacks". Hari Kumar _____
Joe W. replied: My point in the original post (about Ralph Nader's Arab background) had mainly to do with the term 'black' in Britain not as a self-identifier but with respect to what most people meant when they used the term. The origin of the term 'black' in the UK is in its usage by whites to refer to non-whites - and a sidenote: Africans like to joke (good naturedly) about how many Indians are darker skinned than many 'black' people) and a further side note there are many groups of black people (of African descent) in Brazil, Cape Verde, the Dominican Republic, etc. who will tell you in earnest that they are in fact not black despite all appearances. ________
The British Sociological Association has drawn up anti-racist language guidance for BSA publications, journals and other activities. These were developed with wide consultation and we are grateful for all the help received.
http://www.socresonline.org.uk/info/antirac.html
Asian: Refers to people from the Asian sub-continent, often as ethnic minorities in Britain. However, under some circumstances there may be objections to bracketing together a wide variety of different cultural and ethnic groups often with very different positions within British society. Also, some members of particular ethnic groups may object to being referred to by their 'country of origin' when they have been living for several generations in Britain.
Black: This term is often used to refer to a variety of non-white groups. The term has taken on more political connotations with the rise of black activism in the USA since the 1960s and now its usage implies solidarity against racism. The idea of 'black' has thus been reclaimed as a source of pride and identity. To accept this means that we should be sensitive to the many negative connotations relating to the word 'black' in the English language (black leg, black list etc.). However, some Asians in Britain object to the use of the word 'black' being applied to them and some would argue that it also confuses a number of ethnic groups which should be treated separately - Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indians and so on. One solution to this is to refer to 'black peoples', 'black communities' etc. in the plural to imply that there is a variety of such groups. It is also important to be aware of the fact that in some contexts - such as South Africa - 'black' can also be used in a racist sense.
British: Many would argue that one way to denote minority ethnics in this country would be to describe them as 'British Asians', 'Chinese British' etc. One advantage is that by referring to two ethnicities it avoids any suggestion that a person has to choose between them for their identity. However, the idea of 'British' also implies a false sense of unity. Many Scots, Welsh and Irish resist being identified as British and the territory denoted by the term contains a wide variety of cultures, languages and religions.
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