1st Edition

The Creolisation of London Kinship Mixed African-Caribbean and White British Extended Families, 1950-2003

By Elaine Bauer Copyright 2010
276 Pages
by Routledge

In the last 50 years, the United Kingdom has witnessed a growing proportion of mixed African-Caribbean and white British families. With rich new primary evidence of ‘mixed-race’ in the capital city, The Creolisation of London Kinship thoughtfully explores this population. Making an indelible contribution to both kinship research and wider social debates, the book emphasises a long-term evolution... Read more
Acknowledgments, List of tables and figures, 1. Introduction: London, the research context, 2. Outlining and assessing studies of British kinship since the 1950s, 3. Coming together: A case study of the Smith family, 4. Extending the links: The agency of women and the significance of children in the creation and maintenance of kinship, 5. Kinship histories: The significance of family history in the creation and maintenance of kinship relations, 6. Mixed sociability and the growth of mixed African-Caribbean and white British families in London, 7. Mixed heritage, racial prejudice and social positioning 8. Conclusion, Bibliography, Appendix I, Appendix II,272 Appendix III.

Biography

Elaine Bauer is an anthropologist focusing on aspects of international migration, race and ethnic relations and family and kinship. She is co-author of Jamaican Hands Across the Atlantic, a fellow at the Young Foundation and an associate fellow at the Institute for the Study of the Americas, University of London.

This study throws light on social constraints and possibilities at a time of increasing national debate on migration, race and ethnicity. Bauer yields important new information of value to policymakers, with implications for multi-ethnic, multi-cultural areas everywhere. Elizabeth Thomas-Hope, Professor of Environmental Management and Director, Centre for Environmental Management, University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica

Given the great numbers and growth of mixed African-Caribbean and white British families in Britain, Bauer's book provides a valuable and insightful study of extended mixed families and kinship in the UK. Miri Song, Reader in Sociology, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent, United Kingdom

Elegantly bringing together family sociology and ethnic/racial studies, and in a historical perspective, Bauer examines how, in confronting racism during the making of creole kinship, families become sites of resistance. Stéphanie Condon, National Demographic Institute (INED), Paris, France