ESRC Seminar Series 2007-10
Ethnicity, networks and voice mechanisms in established and hard to reach
BME communities: capacity building and beyond
Co-ordinators: Nelarine Cornelius (University of Bradford) and Miguel Martinez Lucio (University of Manchester)
The aim of the seminars is to establish a network of scholars and practitioners which will focus on the organisational and voice related issues of BME communities; establish a network that will draw expertise on social capital, network theory, and regulation change and thus challenge the boundaries which are used to understand the subject; and provide a dialogue between academics and practitioners within the DTI, TUC, UNISON and local trade unions, and regional bodies that rethink the role of BME communities.
The subject of racism and social exclusion is a serious challenge.
In terms of employment, the main concern has been to focus on the use of legislation and training programmes as vehicles of inclusion as far as government and social partners such as trade unions are concerned. There has been increasing interest in the subject of managing diversity, as well, as a way of 'selling' the business benefits of social inclusion to employers. However, there is a gap in the academic debate related to the policy debates. There is an issue as to the understanding, support and strategic focus of policy makers and bodies in relation to the broader Two people and a flip charttapestry of BME community and social enterprise groups. This is especially the case given the changing nature of such groups and the increasing presence of`'hard to reach' groups who are developing their own informal processes.
So the seminars will provide a space for a debate concerning, the dynamics of change within BME communities and their networks and the attitude of traditional bodies to them as they attempt to connect institutionally. In effect, it is aimed at mapping the new actors and networks in terms of their roles and strategies - and linkages. If the role of BME communities and groups is to be more proactive - and, indeed, in many cases they are - then we need to ensure that there is an understanding of their structures, diversity, roles and needs at various levels.
Why we developed the seminar series
In terms of employment, the main concern has been to focus on the use of legislation and training programmes as vehicles of inclusion as far as government and social partners such as trade unions are concerned. There has been increasing interest in the subject of managing diversity, as well, as a way of 'selling' the business benefits of social inclusion to employers. However, there is a gap in the academic debate related to the policy debates.
There is an issue as to the understanding, support and strategic focus of policy makers and bodies in relation to the broader tapestry of BME community and social enterprise groups. This is especially the case given the changing nature of such groups and the increasing presence of 'hard to reach' groups who are developing their own informal processes.
About the seminar series
The seminar aims to facilitate a space for a debate concerning, the dynamics
of change within BME communities and their networks and the attitude of traditional
bodies to them as they attempt to connect institutionally. In effect, it is
aimed at mapping the new actors and networks in terms of their roles and strategies
- and linkages. The current application for a seminar series and network aims
to build into this debate, in a systematic and concerted manner, the role of
black and minority ethnic (BME) networks and collective voice mechanisms. It
will address a series of questions.
- What role do these networks play?
- How are they understood by policy makers and established social organisations?
- What needs do they have?
Main themes
The starting point of the application is to have six seminars, which look at
such network developments in relation to:
- What is a community and network? What are the issues in terms of capacity
needs and capacity building?
- The links to other bodies such as trade unions and employer organisations:
understanding the gaps that exist and mutual considerations
- The local labour market dynamics of such groups and the role of networks:
what do such networks do?
- Communities and networks beyond the community: their role in local economic
dynamics and regulatory processes
- The representative structures of government in relation to BME networks
and the role of regional policy
- The internal structures and politics of such networks: the gender dynamics and emotion structures of such networks
If the role of BME communities and groups is to be more proactive - and, indeed, in many cases they are - then we need to ensure that there is an understanding of their structures, diversity, roles and needs at all levels
The Aims
- To establish a network of scholars and practitioners which will focus on the organisational and voice related issues of BME communities
- To establish a network that will draw expertise on social capital, network theory, and regulation change and thus challenge the boundaries which are used to understand the subject
- To provide a dialogue between academics and practitioners within the DTI, TUC, UNISON and local trade unions, and regional bodies that rethink the role of BME communities
The Objectives
- To produce a special edition and a journal article for leading academic journals and an edited book drawn from the sum of seminars and conference
- To configure a permanent annual conference on the group, network and organisational dynamics of BME issues
- To produce a sustainable website which allows for dissemination and interactive dialogue on these issues
- To enable on-going research lead policy and practice development in this area
For this series, we do not solely wish to study new voice mechanisms, networks and social enterprises within BME communities. Its added value comes from how these link into policy frameworks of the state and other social actors such as trade unions. In addition, what the dynamics and challenges of such developments are and what needs they bring is a vital factor in BME-related decision-making. The seminar series is therefore an attempt to expand such concerns within the management, business and policy academic community (the applied dimension) and does not reside within the sociological domain only.
