Growing Up Multicultural: New collaborative research proposed at UCL

Researchers from a range of departments, such as IOE, SSEES and Psychology, participated to discuss which themes could be relevant for future collaborative research in this subject area. 

Dr Tariq Jazeel, Reader in Human Geography, kicked things off with a presentation on British-Asian dance music. In the 1980s and 1990s, British-Asian dance music was propelled into the cultural mainstream, which had hitherto been predominantly white. This had a transformative effect on the perception of the British-Asian community. It also imbued young British-Asians with a sense of identity and enabled them to express that identity in creative ways. 

Dr Avril Keating, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Social Science at UCL IOE, gave a presentation on cosmopolitan values in young people in the UK. Drawing on survey data, it was noted that the young people of today are more cosmopolitan than previous generations, especially in their attitudes towards LGBTQ people and Europe. However, intolerance and prejudice has not disappeared, it has merely shifted. Young people are becoming increasingly intolerant in their attitudes towards equal rights for migrants. 

After these presentations, the workshop participants split off into small groups to discuss which themes could form the basis of future collaborative research projects on 'growing up multicultural'. A range of interesting ideas were proposed:

Fundamental British Values

• Exploring the relationship between British values, Islam and Islamophobia. 
• What impact does linking British values and the counter-extremism agenda have on Muslim communities?

Education 

• The power of education as a means to expose children to tolerant ideals and cosmopolitan values from a young age.
• The idea of 'philosophy clubs' - forums where young people debate key social issues, so that they are familiar with both sides of arguments.

New Research Methods 

• Exploring whether there are novel research methods and ethnographic spaces which can facilitate a better understanding of multiculturalism and the processes of inclusion/exclusion. 
• Questioning long standing assumptions about multiculturalism which have dominated academic research.

Language 

• Conceptualising the relationship between language, identity and one's sense of belonging in a cultural context.
• Studying the anxieties which people potentially face about 'losing' their first language in a new environment.