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Beyond The Boundaries Of Ethno-racial Identity

By: Josie Lebilé-Holo - Published 2009-11-22

As a student of society- its norms and values, I have watched with interest how views in respect of our own identities change depending on external factors. The trado-classical school of thought would hinge the formation of identity on heritage thus the past. The past can be troublesome- where you would find some ancestries with legacies of great accomplishments, royalty and wealth; on the same yardstick, some pasts are easily discounted, forgotten and all traces of any linkages severed. Or sometimes, accurate picture of the past is blurred and this leads people to allude to glories (ancestors who were warriors yet nobody could trace the so-called battles that were fought) that were never there. In a sense, the past has different meanings to different people. Some are emotive about it and others do not care. So many fights have been fought over perceived insults to one’s heritage. On the other hand, some people simply do not have that historical connection because of separation (through adoption, slavery etc.).

The notion of identity and the past are less troublesome if a person does not leave their natural environment? Similar to the common expression that every black person comes from Africa- this may be a fact. But it does not make every Black person an African- another fact. So, some of the common ideas held about identities have over time become flawed. Normally, we look at race, ethnicity, language (even dialect) and assume that these factors bind us to a nationality (through the type of passport that we hold) but we know these factors alone do not form who we believe we are. But an overriding concept also is the ‘sense of belonging’. Many Nigerians in Britain, for example say that they do not feel that sense of belonging and many of them say they feel ‘out of place’. I have tried to draw people out and try to understand the reason or reasons for this- simplistically, sometimes cultural values and nostalgia play a part. Because many leave the UK to live the ‘culture’ and ‘values’ they thought they had lost only to return yet feeling disillusioned and dazed. Dazed by- economic reality, loss of traditional values, increase in socio-political problems and the sense of nothingness- all of which symbolise the loss of a ‘golden’ past (often characterised by a symbol of a type of behaviour, living or event. Some of us recall the ‘De-Facto bakery at Ojuelegba’ and the symbol it represented at the time which was more than the smell of freshly baked bread!). Nonetheless, returnees to UK say they thought they would ‘fit in’ back home but could not. Should adapting to our natural environment be difficult? The word ‘natural’ is itself problematic. As analysed, adaptation and socialisation could overturn our sense of the ‘natural’. So, in a way understanding where we have come from helps us to answer part of the question ‘who am I’? The main underlying point is that we need to know the past to make sense of the present and plan for the future.

Our sense of identity is also greatly influenced by the present- the part of our colour that sets us apart, our perception of who we think we are and the legal definition (by virtue of nationalisation) of who we are. For example, if you take three individuals and ask the question ‘where are you from?’ you are likely to get three different answers depending on their perception notwithstanding their ethnic origin. My children are prime examples- all ethnically Yoruba (Nigerian) but British citizens. The eldest is proud to proclaim his Nigerianness- the youngest also imitates this. The middle child however, does not let you complete your question before answering saying she is ‘English’. I correct her re-affirming her ‘Nigerian’ heritage in conjunction with her Britishness. She refutes it and enters into some long drawn explanation to justify her ‘Englishness’. I extend this further saying that, ‘but you are not White, how can you be ‘English’?’. I have pondered on this question many times as it supports the very concept that is emerging which is a re-definition of identity. If you speak to the white British (who represent the indigenous face of the English heritage) and ask the question you are bound to hear ‘English’ but some now prefer to say they are British because of the fear of being labelled ‘far-right’. Recent immigration issues have created too much sensitivity around the issue of identity. This has led to call for more celebration of England and the symbols of Englishness such as ‘St. George’s day’ and the English flag’ much in the same way as Scotland, Wales and Ireland are celebrated without the tag of racist nationalism. But what is most interesting is that many young people (like my daughter) have a fiercely independent perception of who they are- which must be said is not connected to the passport they hold or their parents’ heritage. An unlikely explanation may lie in the ideology of socialization. I said ‘unlikely’ with Lord Tebbit and the idea of multiculturalism (which is supposed to be the actualisation of the principle of integration) in mind. Multiculturalism- a model that represents a microcosm of the civil society but has tired in Britain from trying to unify its diverse parts. Significantly it has not created cohesion in Britain, which is why Tebbit said ‘multiculturalism is an impossibility’. The ethno-racial identity with its inherent prejudices always play a significant part in conceiving and adopting a sense of identity which invariably then affects- not just how one sees oneself but also how other people perceive us. ‘Looking at you, (I told my daughter) people’s first reaction is you are black and by your surname, you must be Nigerian- but perhaps when you speak they may well realise that you are British-Nigerian!

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