Mobilities: Place and race..... Where do you come from ? Kath Woodward suggests that 'place matters because it locates people' and provides them with an identity both from where we were born and other places we are associated with. I have had a fairly nomadic life and don't feel I have a 'home town', I guess I assume some identity through my parents roots, but answering 'Where do you come from' is not a short answer.
There is an interesting discussion on migrants and diaspora, and how migrants see their identity through the 'routes' they took to get where they are now (progressive) rather than seeing their identity from their 'roots' (historic-passive).
The place you live can give indications of your identity to others, such as your religion, ethnicity, social status and indeed this information is used by companies to target mail shots or services at specific groups.
The book then discusses the meaning of the words, migrant, race, ethnicity and racism. The discussion on ethnicity challenges the value of the category 'white', as white is a collection of groups with different backgrounds and histories. The Irish are discussed, a group who have suffered prejudice for hundreds of years. The book quotes from the film 'The Commitments' when a character says the Irish are the 'blacks of europe'.
However, this idea is much older than the The Commitments film, in the mid-70s the Irish band Stiff Little Fingers, who were part of 'Rock Against Racism' movement, sang about "Green Wogs" in the anti-racism song 'White Noise'. The lyrics are uncomfortable to read, but expose how it can be easy to stereotype groups of people with unfair and hateful labels.
The rest of the chapter discusses issues of 'Race & Gender', 'Race & Nation' and 'Rituals'. Interesting discussions, but when using the football World Cup as an example of 'immagined community' the author of this book, and of the reference used, have got it completely wrong when they write about England football fans.
"Paul Gilroy suggests that (for English football fans) the St. Georges flag may offer a more positive symbol of inclusion than the more imperialist Union Jack." Firstly, it is the Union Flag not Jack as they would not have been aboard a ship, secondly it has got nothing to do with positive symbols versus imperial ones - England fans should fly the St. Georges (English) flag, they should not use the flag of the United Kingdom to support England, and thirdly many parts of the Arab / Islamic world would not see the St. Georges cross as a 'positive symbol', they would see it as inflammatory and insensitive. This quoted passage shows a remarkable lack of awareness of the history, meanings, emotions and symbolism behind the flags of nations.
Goes to show, just 'cos it has been written in a book doesn't mean it is right.
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