Terms

This term is used to describe people of recent African descent it is also sometimes used politically by some people of African descent over many generations to recognise the African Diaspora.  It should be noted that Africa as a continent contains numerous countries, each with numerous religions, tribes, identities etc., sometimes people of African origin prefer to be referred to by their country of origin e.g. Moroccan, Nigerian, Egyptian etc.

Also, some members of particular ethnic groups may object to being referred to by their (or their ancestors) "country of origin" when they have been living in Britain for several generations.  Just as people of Irish descent for example, who have been living in the UK for generations often prefer to be identified as British.

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It is worth noting that terms like African American used to describe peoples who are of African descent but have lived in America for generations have been adopted as people of all different colours have been generally regarded as American, this is something that the UK still seems to be striving towards.  However this term can also be argued to also slip into the trap of 'putting an origin' on any other colour than white, inadvertently making white seem as the 'norm'.

In the UK this generally refers to people from the Asian sub-continent, namely India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Kashmir.  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. For example the positions of groups originating from Bangladesh and generally more oppressed / less privileged then groups originating from India.  There are again differences within this group. 

This can be compared to the bracketing together of groups within the UK as British, when certain groups in other countries in the UK can take offence to this over-generalisation.

Also, some members of particular ethnic groups may object to being referred to by their (or their ancestors) "country of origin" when they have been living in Britain for several generations.

Black is a term used to describe people who share a common experience of structural and institutional discrimination because of their skin colour, ethnic origin or culture because of their visible 'difference' to the White majority in Britain and the West. It is often used politically to refer to people of African, Caribbean and South Asian origin to imply solidarity against racism. 

The term originally took on political connotations with the rise of black activism in the USA in the 1960's when it was reclaimed as a source of pride and identity in opposition to the many negative connotations relating to the word "black" in the English language (black list, black market, black sheep etc.)  In the UK however, there is an on-going debate about the use of this term to define South-Asian people because of the existence of diverse South Asian cultural identities.

Some Asian groups in Britain object to the use of the word "black" being applied to them and some would argue that it confuses a number of ethnic groups which are different - Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi etc.

Whilst there are many differences between and within groups, the inclusive term black refers to those that have shared a history of European Colonialism, neo-colonialism, imperialism, ethno-centrism and racism.  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 "black" can also be used in a racist sense, where the negativity historically associated with this colour is used in a derogatory sense.  The capitalisation of the letter "B" in the term "Black British" are shifting ground and it should be stressed that social scientists need to be very clear that the use of these terms does not prioritise nor indeed conflate ethnicity and citizenship.

Many would argue that one way to describe minority ethnic groups 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.

This term has racist overtones, which derives from a colonist perception of world, which defines everything other than 'their' norm as different, inferior and therefore uncivilised.  It is often based on selective amnesia's and untruths about the complex reality of different societies.  It is also often associated with Darwinism.

This is an outdated term in the UK and should be avoided as it is generally viewed as offensive by black people. 

In the United States of America the term "people of colour" is often used as a form of self-reference for people who suffer from racism and discrimination on the basis of visible skin colour difference to the white Anglo-Saxon political majority population (WASP)

The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) has produced a list of "ethnic classifications" for the use of employers and others collecting information for the purpose of Equal Opportunities policies and this is compatible with that used for the 1991 census.  However they recognise that no single classification system will be relevant to all contexts.

The general classification is as follows:

White , Black (Caribbean), Black (African), Black Other (please specify), Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Other (please describe)

These classifications are a confused mixture of skin colour and geographic regions. Many people living in particular geographic regions not having the designated skin colour (i.e. black or white) are excluded or have to locate themselves in the "other" category or the region of their ethnic descent.

There are also real issues with the lack of definition over the term "white", which clearly needs to be expanded.  It is also clear that there are problems when accounting for people of mixed heritage and the "other" category becomes an amalgam of people who feel they not fit anywhere

This has been adapted to :

White Irish, White British, White Other, White Black Caribbean, White Black African, White Asian, Other Mixed, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Other Asian, Caribbean , African, Other black, Chinese, Other Ethnic Origin

Again these have some of the same problems as the above categories.  It may be more appropriate to have three separate categories on colour, nationality and ethnic origin to locate ethnic classifications.

We feel it is also important to include categories such as Black British, Asian British, Chinese British, etc. to not buy into the idea that black people cannot be British.

Furthermore some would argue that the order in which these are invariably listed, again buy into a colour hierarchy reinforced by unconscious practices such as this listing.

This is another term used to refer to non-industrialised or Southern countries.  However, it can be seen as prejudicial since there is an implicit comparison with "developed" countries.

In its contemporary use it refers to colonial and now post-colonial peoples who have been dislocated and scattered to other lands from their countries of origin through a process of voluntary and involuntary migration.  Many have now been settled in these countries for many genernations.

This is quite largely and wrongly used to describe black communities, styles of dress / types of food etc. that originate from Southern countries. It is also used to describe things that are Non-Western, Non-white and Non-'civilised' e.g. "I like your clothes, they are very 'ethnic'", "the ethnics are the majority in this area" Many people find this usage of the word as offensive.

It originally meant 'nation or people' however its early Greek translation for the Old Testament virtually meant 'heathen'.

Ethnic in fact refers to cultural groups of various kinds - everyone has an ethnicity, so white people are also part of an ethnic group.  To avoid this it is best to spell out explicitly the ethnic groups you are talking about.

The origins of the word also make this word derogatory for some, as it originally meant pagan / non-Christian or heathen, so applied in the wrong example above, it can be highly offensive.

This is a tendency to see the world from the point of view of only one culture.  Ethnocentrism can lead to racism when applied to 'race'.

This is a tendency to see the world from a European point of view only, it is still widely applied.  E.g. We teach young people that Columbus discovered the Caribbean and America, when in fact he may have only been the first European to go there, it should be questioned how he can discover something that was already there.  This has lead to racism in many forms.

Its 15th century origins mean from another country or abroad.  Some find it unacceptable because of its racist overtones linked with immigration law.  If it is seen as acceptable it should only be applied to someone who has come from another country and not to people who have been settled in a particular country for generations.

A rather dated word that has racist origins.  'Caste' comes from the Spanish / Portuguese word 'Casta' which means pure.  When this word was first coined it explicitly implied that one half was pure the other was not (i.e. the white side was pure the black side is not).

Scientists are now also proving that there is no such thing as a pure 'race' of any colour, so it must be questioned how you can be half of anything.

Under some circumstances people could correctly be described as immigrants - if they are migrants from one country to another.  However, this should not be used when referring to ethnic groups that have been in this country for generations (and in some cases centuries).  In the British context it often has racist overtones associated with immigration law and is used by the far right to describe people who are not white, white people who immigrate to Britain are not generally regarded as immigrants by these groups.

In the US it is often used to refer to indigenous Americans.  However is a contradiction in terms when you think about what indigenous means.  It can be confusing as it is also used to describe people from India.  In the US native American is best used in this context.  In the UK it is used to describe people or their descendants who originate from India.

Also, some members of particular ethnic groups may object to being referred to by their (or their ancestors) "country of origin" when they have been living in Britain for several generations.

Acceptable when used to describe people who are Jamaican.  It needs to be approached with caution when used to describe people who are born outside of Jamaica but have Jamaican ancestry.  It is also often used to describe people who are black, however not all black people are Jamaican or even Caribbean.  It is worth remembering that the Caribbean has a variety of Islands and someone who was born in Barbados for instance would find it offensive to be labelled as Jamaican.

Some prefer "ethnic minorities" although others suggest that this implies that the majority are not ethnic as well and hence recommend the use of the term "minorities". 

It is also worth noting that groups traditionally defined as ethnic minorities here in the UK are not a minority in Europe nor the world.  When addressing a US audience, it is important to take into account the fact that US sociologists use the term not in a numerical sense, but as a minority if they have minimal power.

Some prefer 'minority ethnic' to 'ethnic minority' as everyone belongs to an ethnic group. Minority ethnic places the emphasis on the minority status rather than the ethnicity, whereas ethnic minority places the emphasis on the minority status of the group.

This is a misleading term as it implies that a "pure race" exists.  This term like it's alternatives "mixed parentage" "dual heritage" refers to people who are visibly identified as embodying two or more world views.

It should be recognised that these terms are bounded by limited concepts and language of a racial discourse that privileges the notion of essential 'races' social scientists need to establish a new vocabulary away from the highly contentious notion of 'race'.

The mixing of 'races', or the mixing of cultures defined by racial difference, which the current terminology allures to, explains the use of quotation marks.  While terms such as mixed parentage still implies that there is a pure race, in these times of global shifts and diasporic movements it is important to recognise the emerging identity of people who call themselves "mixed race".

This is thought by some to be a neutral way of describing the variety of ethnic cultures and peoples in Britain.  However, others object to this term on the grounds that it assumes that they are all equal rather than that some are dominated by the racism of others.

Native-born is acceptable if used to refer to people born in a particular place.  Otherwise it has strong colonialist connotations.

A very dated term with very racist overtones unless used historically.  It derives from the word denigrate and forms the basis for the more modern yet equally offensive usage of this word 'nigger'.  To denigrate someone is literally to blacken them and it comes from the Latin word denigrate.  It originally meant to turn something black as well as the metaphorical to 'defame and belittle'

A highly offensive and derogatory word used to refer to black people.  We would argue that this is not a word you use 'accidentally' or 'unconsciously' as it's history and usage has always been highly racist.  It should always be seen as racist whether used by a white racist or black hip-hop artist.  It derives from the word negro. "see above 'negro'"

An alternative way of referring to Third World countries, but in fact there are very few non-industrial countries and the terminology is outdated.

Some argue that this is a neutral term. 

A derogatory term used to describe the beliefs of non-Christian peoples.  This term has racist overtones.

A derogatory term used to describe people from Pakistani origin but also wrongly used to describe any person of Asian origin.  Some argue it is simply an abbreviation for Pakistani just as Scot is an abbreviation for Scottish and Brit British, however historically this term has always been used offensively and derogatorily, unlike the other terms, and should be seen as racist whether used by someone who is or is not of Pakistani origin.

Ironically 'PAK' in Pakistan means 'pure' as Pakistan means pure land.  So racists who use this word are inadvertently calling people 'pure'.  This does not detract from the fact that it has historically been used negatively and should always be taken this way.

This has derogatory overtones and implies an ignorance of the complex nature of many non-industrial societies.  It also ignores the scientific, cultural, religious etc contributions that people from all societies have made to the world, and again is based on colonialist perception of the world, norms and values.

An ideology, structure and process in which inequalities inherent in the wider social structure are related in a deterministic way to biological and cultural factors attributed to those who are seen as a different 'race' or ethnic group.

Racism is created and recreated out of a complex set of circumstances.  A variety of attitude, practices and types of behaviour which may not necessarily be overt or intentional but which serves to discriminate against or to marginalise people judged to be of another 'race'.

This is premised on the notion of cultural difference and cultural incompatibility.  In the discourse of the new racism, customary practices including speech, domestic life and worship are taken to be signs of coexistence difference.

Despite the discrediting of 'fixed' biological differences between 'racial' groups, this particular notion continues to underpin the new racism, with culture serving as a euphemism for 'race'.  This can be seen in the way that ethnicity is treated as fixed and mutually exclusive.  These presumed 'fixed' cultural differences are accordingly paraded in public arena's as constituting real grounds for cultural incompatibility.  Such common-sense understandings have a tendency to prevent people from recognising cultural similarities.

The new racism implies that there is a unified white nation state who participate in a shared British culture, history and identity and who have a common sense of belonging.  Those who believe in the new racism argue that there is need to protect the national culture from those who are presumed to pose a threat to its existence.  Such people have the distinctive feature of being black.

Black groups whether born in Britain or not are not viewed as part of the nation-state and as such their 'alien' cultures are thought to pose a threat to it's existence.  It is against this threat that the majority group identify and unite.  This is the frame of reference through which the majority groups make sense of their own identities and the identities of those designated 'Other'.  The new racism sees alien (Black) cultures a posing a threat to the national way of life.

This is an approach used by some British far right groups largely to avoid the label of being racist, as it can be argued that the British are not a race. 

This has become a term used to refer to countries outside Europe and the 'New World' America, Australia etc.  This usually simply means poor nations.  However, some feel that is outs together too many diverse nations and cultures and that it can be prejudicial under some circumstances.  North / South may be a better alternative.

A dated term used to refer to non-Western ethnic groups, such as African and Native American groups.  It originally meant a division of Roman people but here what we label as tribe can also be questioned. For example, if a tribe is a division of people, is what we would call a Scottish Clan also a tribe?

A term used to describe minority groups that are visually distinctive from the majority white groups (who have the most political power) therefore experience a distinctive type of racism based on that visibility.

A term used to describe people from the West Indian territories, a region which is highly culturally diverse.  It has generally been replaced by 'African-Caribbean' when referring to people of African descent.  However caution must also be applied in using this term as it also homogenises distinct groups of Black people.

Whiteness, because it is an unnamed hegemonic position of privilege and power, because the point of reference for measuring others, unlike 'Blackness' which has been named in the language of white signification.  Whiteness has defied scrutiny, as it does not seem like a culture, as everyone is apparently the same.

In addition to these words some people prefer to be identified according to their religion.  We would argue that people share multiple identities and are by no means just one of any of these things.

Moving towards this way of understanding and identifying each other we feel would move away from the very limited definitions we currently use that divide us.

I could view myself as a member of the following communities, depending on the context and in no particular order:

Black, Asian, Azad Kashmiri, Miripuri, Kungruwalay, Pakistani, English, British, Yorkshireman, Bradfordian, From the Bradford Moor…. I could use the term 'community' in any of these contexts and it would have meaning.  Any attempt to define me only as one of these would be meaningless.
 

The fear of strangers or anything different.