The First Page: ‘Am I Less British?’
THE FIRST PAGE
‘Am I Less British?’:
Racism, Belonging, and the Children of Refugees and Immigrants in North London
by Doğuş Şimşek
24 September 2024
The First Page presents the first page of books that are launched as part of the IAS Book Launch Programme. On 1 October 2024, Doğuş Şimşek launches her book ‘Am I Less British?’ that focuses on the children of refugees and immigrants in North London, whose parents migrated from Turkey. Şimşek studied the children’s sense of identity, belonging and their transnational experiences and tried to understand how the children position themselves within a range of locations: London, North London and Turkey.
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INTRODUCTION
During my fieldwork in 2019 in Hackney, a neighbourhood in the northeast of London, I sat in a cafe with a few young people whose parents are Kurdish and Turkish. A few days earlier Shamima Begum’s citizenship had been revoked, and we started talking about how they would feel if they were stripped of their British citizenship. Erkan said “I would feel lost”; he was interrupted by Kenan, who added “they cannot strip our British citizenship. We were born in this country.” Erkan asked Kenan, “Do you know Shamima Begum’s case?” Kenan shook his head; Erkan answered his question: “Shamima Begum is a British-Bangladeshi whose British passport has been taken away by the British government because she joined ISIS. She was sent to Bangladesh, where she has never lived, and cannot return to the UK.” He followed up: “Imagine if this happens to us. I have never lived in Turkey and would not want to live there. I do not even speak proper Turkish. I am British. Here is my home and there is no other place to call home.” Mehmet interrupted: “You are lucky because you are Turkish and Turkey is not a dangerous place for you. Returning to Turkey in my case is not safe as there are lots of racist attacks taking place in Turkey against Kurds.” Erkan added: “Yes, but I do not feel comfortable in Turkey. I do not want to live there. I am British. I was born in this country. I belong here.” Kenan said “Do not worry, guys! They will not send us back to Turkey. They want to get rid of black and brown people, not us. We are white compared to them.”
Their conversation highlights racialised hierarchies of Britishness, what constitutes a sense of belonging, and in which ways whiteness plays a role in how they position themselves with other racialised groups. It also confirms their views about what constitutes a sense of belonging, which varies depending on their experiences in one another’s hierarchical positions that are defined by their parents’ country of origin, ethnicity, religion and class. By looking into how the children of refugees and immigrants position themselves within a range of places where they face racism and discrimination, how they make sense of their identities and belonging within the contemporary political context in Britain and Turkey, and what it means to be a citizen of Britain and/or Turkey, this book, by drawing on ethnographic research conducted in north London, aims to provide a conceptual tool highlighting a need to focus on these young people’s experiences of racism and discrimination within the political spectrum of Britain and Turkey.
DOĞUŞ ŞIMŞEK is Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology at Kingston University, London.
‘Am I Less British?’ will launch on 1 October 2024 at the Institute of Advanced Studies. More information.
Lead Image: Harringay Green Lanes © the author.
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