The governments that have shaped policy since the 1960's have adopted various strategies to attempt to deal with the issue of migrant communities to this country. These are:

Assimilation

With the arrival of the African Caribbean and Asian migrants, the assumption of the governments throughout the 1950s and into the 1970s was that provided their children were given support with the English language in schools, the migrant population would; learn 'to become like us'; that is, they would be assimilated.

The assimilationist model was based upon an inadequate understanding of the social psychology of group identity; and in particular of the resilience of ethnic identities in context where the minority community is marginalised and faces hostility. When a minority community begins to adopt the cultural practices of the dominant ethnic community and is still rejected by the majority population, then assimilation is hardly a viable political or cultural option.

Given this scenario, it seems hardly surprising that the xenophobia and racism present in the majority populations should have reinforced any tendency of the minority communities to attempt to retain their unique ethnic values and culture.

Multiculturalism

Responding to the failure of assimilation, multiculturalism emerged as a policy which allowed for the recognition of ethnic diversity in Britain. Multiculturalism has provided a framework within which ethnic diversity may be recognised by policy makers; and respect for different cultures may be encouraged between individuals. It has, however, been severely criticised for its failure to address inequalities of power and resources between the majority and the minority populations.

Thus within multiculturalism the identity and need of the minority ethnic communities have tended to be determined in a political process where their difference has been the perceived problem. Through the late 1970s and into the mid 1980s multiculturalism was critiqued by members of minority ethnic communities, who deeply resented its implicit paternalism. Perhaps after the early 1980s, anti-racist strategies emerged as an alternative to multiculturalism.

Anti-Racism

This model of recognising the conflicts of interest within multi ethnic Britain and of addressing systematic processes of inequality within British institutions was never widely acceptable. It developed the insights derived from the concept of institutional racism which informed the 1976 Race Relation Act, and made visible that 'nice people' may be involved, through their routine professional practice, in generating discriminatory outcomes. As a model for responding to the inequalities and discrimination within multi-ethnic society, anti- racism was a direct challenge to this members of the indigenous dominant white community who felt comfortable with Britain's tolerant credentials. This started considerable debate in the political and governmental circles. It attracted a range of critiques from many on the left and from minority ethnic communities who found it strong on rhetoric and weak on delivery.

Community cohesion

Today, we see a reversal of the policies of the 70's 80's and 90's. With the increasing development of international political unrest, asylum seekers and refugee situation taking the forefront of local and national media attention and the growing terrorist fear since the attack of september 11th a new policy has emerged – that os community cohesion.

The publication of the Cantle report, titled Community Cohesion, defines the government's strategy for maintaining order in those towns in northern UK where riots had taken place in Summer 2001. In December 2001 Home Secretary Blunkett announced that the government was considering an oath of allegiance for immigrants and that English language tests would be introduced. Blunkett's provocative comments signalled that, from the state's point of view, the 'multiculturalist settlement', which has dominated race relations thinking in Britain for two decades, is no longer working: The old multiculturalist formula of 'celebrating difference' - itself a response to the riots of the early 1980s - is to be replaced.

A full discussion of the implication of this click here.