ABSTRACT
This paper explores the identities of Britain’s black middle-classes. Drawing upon interviews with seventy-two participants, I theorize a ‘triangle of identity’. This triangle emphasizes how black middle-class identities are constructed within the dynamics of three poles. Firstly, there is the class-minded pole whereby class comes to the fore as a conceptual scheme; secondly, there is the ethnoracial autonomous pole whereby ‘race’ is central to one’s identity and whiteness is actively resisted; and lastly there is the strategic assimilation pole, where one continually moves between classed and racialized spheres of action. This tripartite approach to identity builds upon previous research by further exploring the social, cultural and phenomenological distinctions within Britain’s black middle-classes.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to both reviewers for their comments, which helped to improve this article.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
3. Both in my research, and in the ESRC project, this dichotomy between race and class was used as an entry point for discussion rather than a claim that class and race are disparate modes of being. In both projects there was a focus on the ‘“mutual constitution” of race and class’ (Vincent et al. Citation2012b, 261), examining how ‘race and class differently intersect for the respondents in different situations’ (Vincent et al. Citation2012b, 263).
4. It could be that the ethnoracial autonomous mode of experience is more common among women, due to the increased expectations for them to assimilate with racialized beauty standards, which offers an obvious target for resistance. On the other hand, the class-minded experience may be affected by possessing high amounts of economic capital. Future research could explore these associations.
Ball, Stephen J., Nicola Rollock, Carol Vincent, and David Gillborn. 2013. “Social Mix, Schooling and Intersectionality: Identity and Risk for Black Middle Class Families.” Research Papers in Education 28 (3): 265–288. doi:10.1080/02671522.2011.641998. Gillborn, David. 2015. “Intersectionality, Critical Race Theory, and the Primacy of Racism Race, Class, Gender, and Disability in Education.” Qualitative Inquiry 21 (3): 277–287. doi:10.1177/1077800414557827. Gillborn, David, Nicola Rollock, Carol Vincent, and Stephen J. Ball. 2012. “‘You Got a Pass, so What More Do You Want?’: Race, Class and Gender Intersections in the Educational Experiences of the Black Middle Class.” Race Ethnicity and Education 15 (1): 121–139. doi:10.1080/13613324.2012.638869. Rollock, Nicola, David Gillborn, Carol Vincent, and Stephen Ball. 2011. “The Public Identities of the Black Middle Classes: Managing Race in Public Spaces.” Sociology 45 (6): 1078–1093. doi:10.1177/0038038511416167. Rollock, Nicola, Carol Vincent, David Gillborn, and Stephen Ball. 2012. “‘Middle Class by Profession’: Class Status and Identification Amongst the Black Middle Classes.” Ethnicities. December, 1468796812467743. doi:10.1177/1468796812467743. Vincent, Carol, Nicola Rollock, Stephen Ball, and David Gillborn. 2012a. “Being Strategic, Being Watchful, Being Determined: Black Middle-Class Parents and Schooling.” British Journal of Sociology of Education 33 (3): 337–354. doi:10.1080/01425692.2012.668833. Vincent, Carol, Nicola Rollock, Stephen Ball, and David Gillborn. 2012b. “Intersectional Work and Precarious Positionings: Black Middle-Class Parents and Their Encounters with Schools in England.” International Studies in Sociology of Education 22 (3): 259–276. doi:10.1080/09620214.2012.744214. Vincent, Carol, Stephen Ball, Nicola Rollock, and David Gillborn. 2013. “Three Generations of Racism: Black Middle-Class Children and Schooling.” British Journal of Sociology of Education 34 (5–6): 929–946. doi:10.1080/01425692.2013.816032. Vincent, Carol, Nicola Rollock, Stephen Ball, and David Gillborn. 2013. “Raising Middle-Class Black Children: Parenting Priorities, Actions and Strategies.” Sociology 47 (3): 427–442. doi:10.1177/0038038512454244. Vincent, Carol, Nicola Rollock, Stephen J. Ball, and David Gillborn. 2011. The Educational Strategies of the Black Middle Classes. ESRC RES-062-23-1880sk. London: Institute of Education. Rollock, Nicola, David Gillborn, Carol Vincent, and Stephen J. Ball. 2015. The Colour of Class: The Educational Strategies of the Black Middle Classes. London: Routledge. Vincent, Carol, Nicola Rollock, Stephen Ball, and David Gillborn. 2012b. “Intersectional Work and Precarious Positionings: Black Middle-Class Parents and Their Encounters with Schools in England.” International Studies in Sociology of Education 22 (3): 259–276. doi:10.1080/09620214.2012.744214. Vincent, Carol, Nicola Rollock, Stephen Ball, and David Gillborn. 2012b. “Intersectional Work and Precarious Positionings: Black Middle-Class Parents and Their Encounters with Schools in England.” International Studies in Sociology of Education 22 (3): 259–276. doi:10.1080/09620214.2012.744214.