Research
Research Plan
In an attempt to understand social networks in some detail, and the context in which people live their lives, the research focused on three London boroughs (although it is accepted that these communities are not geographically bounded- either in terms of work or home life). London was chosen due to the fact that almost half of the UK’s BME individuals live in the capital and many social networks are long established. The boroughs provided a geographical research framework as useful contextual, quantitative data is collated at this scale (e.g. Census data) and community activity and support networks are often found organised at the scale of local boroughs.
We chose to conduct in-depth qualitative case studies of locally based ethnic groups, Kurdish in Hackney, Indian in Ealing and Caribbean in Lambeth. While we could have chosen other ethnic groups in other London boroughs, we have specifically chosen these as in Ealing and Lambeth, the ethnic groups represent the largest minority ethnic group in the boroughs with well-established social networks. The Kurdish community, although not the largest, represent a significant under-researched ethnic group located in a particular geographical area within the borough of Hackney. In addition, the research team has established contacts in these areas, which will facilitate access to hard to reach respondents.
The rationale for the choice of ethnic group by borough allowed for an exploration of a range of issues influenced the way minority ethnic workers accessed support for work related issues and these are noted below:
- The groups represent long-established (Caribbean, followed by Indian) and more recent (Kurdish) BME communities in the UK. The Kurdish community also has a high percentage of political refugees.
- Caribbeans in Lambeth and Indians in Ealing are the largest minority ethnic groups in the boroughs and although there are no specific figures on the Kurdish population in Hackney, it is estimated from other data (percentage of Kurdish school children), that they represent one of the largest minority ethnic groups and form a substantial community in specific parts of the Borough (and the largest Kurdish community in the UK). Thus in each group there are numbers to enable the team to consider variables such as gender, age and occupation.
- They also have distinct and different characteristics in terms of trade union membership (Caribbeans have the highest UK union density; trade union membership among the Kurdish community is relatively unknown and undocumented; although Indian workers have, in parts, strong trade union membership, they have often, in addition, used well-established social and cultural capital to support workers).
- Each of the communities has their own religious (e.g. Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu), political and secular traditions, which allow for an exploration of why, how and what these contribute to providing support within each community.
- The labour market position of each community is quite distinct, although not homogeneous, ranging from concentrations in local government, the health service and London Transport (Caribbean in Lambeth); Heathrow airport related employment (Indian in Ealing); food processing and small businesses (Kurdish in Hackney).
- The groups exhibit different gendered divisions of labour and distinct gendered differences in trade union membership and activity. This also applies to the age of workers – particular differences between first and second and third generations – and the alienation of young workers.
These factors allow for an exploration of the complexity of how social networks operate in these different social and geographical contexts. The three ethnic groups will allow us to theorise similarities and differences, while at the same time exploring the factors leading to differences.
Please download the following PDF for more detailed information of the research plan:
Methodology.pdf
