Piacentini, Teresa (2012) Solidarity and struggle: an ethnography of the associational lives of ...

300 Pages·2012·2.7 MB·English

Piacentini, Teresa (2012) Solidarity and struggle: an ethnography of the
associational lives of African asylum seekers and refugees in Glasgow.
PhD thesis.

http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3395/

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Glasgow Theses Service
http://theses.gla.ac.uk/
Solidarity and Struggle:
An ethnography of the associational lives of African
asylum seekers and refugees in Glasgow

Teresa Piacentini

B.A. (Hons.), M.Sc., PG Cert., DPSI., M.Sc.(Sociology)

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Social and Political Sciences, College of Social Sciences,
University of Glasgow

December 2011
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Abstract

Since 2000, Glasgow has received thousands of asylum seekers, forcibly dispersed to the
city through the implementation of the 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act. Over the years,
many of those individuals have organised into what have gone on to become formally
constituted voluntary associations. This thesis explores the social meanings and lived
realities of association life, and the nature of associational practices, as they emerge and
develop over time amongst dispersed African asylum seekers and refugees in Glasgow.

Based upon fieldwork undertaken over a twenty-six month period involving participant-
observation, the thesis locates members’ micro-level understandings, experiences, and
definitions of associational life within the wider macro context of broader political, social
and cultural change. In so doing, the thesis analyses the complex and differentiated ways
in which associational lives are experienced, and explores their intersection with a wide
range of collective and individual identities beyond those connected to migrant status and
‘refugeeness’. The thesis thus seeks to challenge dominant definitions of associational
forms as ‘refugee community organisations’, arguing that these contribute to constraining
groups within fixed boundaries, and to perpetuating their position as an ‘unsettled’
population. Moreover, it is argued that the focus on ‘refugeeness’ fails to attend to the
combination of internal and external factors affecting association emergence and
continuity. Combining perspectives from social theory on migrant and minority
associations and social movements with an anthropological approach that integrates
internal processes with external forces, the thesis presents nuanced accounts of solidarity
and struggle within groups. In contrast to representations that construct asylum seeker and
refugee-led associations as fixed in time and space and defined by migrant status, this
thesis argues for an understanding of group life that is sensitive to the fluidity of social
relations in multiple social contexts which change and evolve over time. This requires an
analysis of both the conditions that encourage the founding of groups and of the factors
which support or inhibit their continued existence, and is crucial to ‘moving beyond
refugeeness’.
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Contents

Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 2
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. 10
Author’s declaration ................................................................................................. 11
Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 12
Aims of the thesis and research questions................................................................ 22
The thesis ................................................................................................................. 23
Contribution of thesis ............................................................................................... 25
Methods .................................................................................................................... 26
Plan of the thesis ...................................................................................................... 27
Chapter 2 Associational Lives of Migrants: A Critical Review of Literature ........ 32
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 32
Theoretical approaches from ‘race relations’ and radical perspectives on immigrant
and minority associations: contributions and limitations ......................................... 33
Theorising internal relations, leadership and representativeness ............................. 48
Key ‘RCO’ studies: contributions and limitations ................................................... 56
Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 76
Chapter 3 Methodology and Methods ........................................................................ 79
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 79
Chicago School microsociology .............................................................................. 80
The Manchester School turn to the macro ............................................................... 86
Methods .................................................................................................................... 94
Analytical considerations ....................................................................................... 110
Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 116
Chapter 4 Contextualising the Ethnography ........................................................... 118
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 118
The asylum and immigration legislative context ................................................... 118
A brief history of the dispersal of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK ........... 122
Immigration and the Scottish political climate ...................................................... 125
Dispersal and Glasgow ........................................................................................... 130
Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 139
Chapter 5 Associational Life .................................................................................... 141
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 141
The Associations .................................................................................................... 142
The ‘meeting’ as a space of belonging ................................................................... 155
Content of meetings ............................................................................................... 162
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Preparing food and eating together: the social life of the group ............................ 169
Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 177
Chapter 6 Internal Structures and External Constraints ...................................... 179
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 179
Committee life: motivation, personal agendas and differentiated migrant status .. 180
Leadership roles, relationships and issues ............................................................. 186
Representativeness and participation ..................................................................... 193
Funding .................................................................................................................. 200
Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 205
Chapter 7 Internal Conflict, Accommodating Difference, Identifying as‘Other’ 206
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 206
Conflict, tensions and fragmentation ..................................................................... 207
Accommodating difference in relation to migrant status ....................................... 215
The dissonance between external categorisations and internal identifications ...... 224
Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 232
Chapter 8 Alignment with other ‘Others’ ................................................................ 233
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 233
Challenging labels and practices of ‘ideological convergence’ ............................. 234
Alignment with other ‘others’ ................................................................................ 245
Practising alignment with other ‘others’ and building institutional completeness 251
Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 260
Chapter 9 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 261
Overview ................................................................................................................ 261
Restating the aims of the thesis and revisiting the chapters ................................... 264
Contribution of thesis ............................................................................................. 271
Implications of thesis for further research and elaboration .................................... 273
Appendices 277
Appendix One: Changes to UK Asylum and Immigration Legislation ................. 277
Appendix Two: Voluntary Association Legal Structures ...................................... 279
Appendix Three: Summary of Research Study ...................................................... 281
Appendix Four: Interview Schedule ...................................................................... 282
References .................................................................................................................... 283
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List of tables

Table 1: Changes to UK Asylum and Immigration Legislation ........................................ 277
Table 2: Voluntary Association Legal Structures .............................................................. 279

List of photos

Photo 1: AFIG clean up day 2007 ...................................................................................... 144
Photo 2: AFIG Refugee Week 2009 event ......................................................................... 145
Photo 3: Africa Umoja Scotland 2009 AGM ..................................................................... 146
Photo 4: CAMASS 2008 National Day ............................................................................. 148
Photo 5: CAMASS 2009 National Day ............................................................................. 148
Photo 6: ASSECS 2009 AGM ........................................................................................... 149
Photo 7: New members, ASSECS monthly meeting 2008 ................................................ 149
Photo 8: Karibu committee meeting October 2010............................................................ 151
Photo 9: Karibu drop-in July 2009 ..................................................................................... 151
Photo 10: Karibu Refugee Week 2009 event ..................................................................... 151
Photo 11: African café, Pollokshaws Road ........................................................................ 254

List of flyers

Flyer 1: AFIG cultural event 2009 ..................................................................................... 145
Flyer 2: ASSECS public seminar 2009 .............................................................................. 149
Flyer 3: 2011 Cultural event, Karibu catering ................................................................... 151
Flyer 4: African butcher, Govanhill ................................................................................... 256
Flyer 5: International barber, Govanhill ............................................................................ 256

List of figures

Figure 1: Associational life ................................................................................................ 154

List of maps

Map 1: East Pollokshields (Albert Drive) and Govanhill (Alison Street) ......................... 253
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List of abbreviations, terminology and acronyms

A&CN African and Caribbean Network

AGM Annual General Meeting

ARC Application Registration Card. This is a credit -card sized identity
card for asylum seekers. Details on card include: name, date of
birth, work permit status, nationality, fingerprints, Home Office
reference number and NASS support entitlements.

Asylum seeker A person who has left their country, has applied for asylum and is
awaiting refugee status determination.

Azure card If an asylum seeker is granted Section 4 support s/he is entitled to
accommodation and weekly support to the value of £35. This is
paid through an automated card payment system, called an ‘Azure’
payment card. Azure cards were piloted in Scotland in November
2009.

BEMIS Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure Scotland was set up in
1997. It is made up of a network of ethnic minorit y organisations to
address the gap that exists in support for the ethnic minority
voluntary sector in Scotland.

BME Black Minority Ethnic (sector, community, voluntary organisation,
population and so forth)

CEMVO Centre of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Org anisations Scotland was set
up in April 2003, with the aim of building the capacity of the
country’s minority ethnic voluntary and community sector. Its work
ranges from socio-economic regeneration, life -long learning,
community participation and represen tation to organisational
development, policy and research.

COSLA Council of Scottish Local Authorities

Dispersal Compulsory dispersal of asylum seekers. Commenced April 2000.

DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo

ESOL English to Speakers of Other Languages

FFD Framework for Dialogue is a project which aims to provide a forum
for asylum seekers and refugees to influence service provision and
social policy at a local level in Glasgow. Set up in 2004, it was
primarily an awareness raising project. I ts main aims were to tackle
racism in dispersal areas in Glasgow and develop a dialogue with
the ‘local community’ on who asylum seekers were and why they
had arrived in these neighbourhoods. There are eight F FD groups
operating in dispersal areas and the citywide SRPF which campaigns
on national issues such as asylum seekers’ right to work. The
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project is funded by the Scottish Executive and delivered by
Community Development teams at Scottish Refugee Council and
Glasgow City Council.

GASSP Glasgow Asylum Seekers Support Project

Gateway Under this programme, highly vulnerable refugees and their
Resettlement families, identified by the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR, are
Programme resettled under arrangements between councils and the Home
Office. The Gateway Resettlement initiative was founded in 2004,
and in January 2007, North Lanarkshire was the first, and thus far,
only council in Scotland to become involved with Gateway.
Essentially Gateway offers a legal route for a quota of UNHCR-
identified refugees to settle in the United Kingdom and enjoys cross-
party support in the UK. The programme is distinct from and in
addition to ordinary provisions for claiming asylum in the United
Kingdom.

GCC Glasgow City Council

HO Home Office

ICAR Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees in the UK

IGM Inaugural General Meeting

MC Management committee

MP Member of Parliament, UK Parliament, Westminster

MSP Member of Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government, Edinburgh

NASS National Asylum Support Service

RC Refugee Council

RCO Refugee Community Organisation

Refugee A person who has been recognised as a refugee as defined by the
1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

RWSG Refugee Women’s Strategy Group is a network of refugee women
who represent women’s interests in the Scottish Refugee Policy
Forum (SRPF).

SCIO Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation

SCVO Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

Section 4 Hard case support: if a claim for asylum has been refused, and the
claimant has no dependent children under 18 years old, the support
received from the Home Office is stopped. It is replaced, depending
upon eligibility, by short-term support known as Section 4 support
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from the Home Office. Section 4 support consists only of
accommodation and a payment card called the Azure card. This
card can only be used in a limited number of shops.

Section 55 Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration & Asylum Act 2002
renders ‘in-country’ applicants ineligible for any form of NASS
support unless a claim is made ‘as soon as reasonably practicable’.
Commenced 8 January 2003.

SRC Scottish Refugee Council

SRPF Scottish Refugee Policy Forum is a federation of refugee-led
community based organisations in Scotland. It was set up with the
assistance of the Scottish Refugee Council

UKBA United Kingdom Border Agency

UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

COSLA Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

Y-People Formerly YMCA, a registered charity supporting homeless people
and providing housing and support to asylum seekers.

Angel Group Private sector housing provider

Source: various
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Key to transcription conventions used

All interviews were transcribed verbatim using the following conventions. The interviews
in French were transcribed in French and data were translated into English for inclusion in
the thesis. Manual coding facilitated the process of dual language coding.

The conventions used are presented here to assist the reader in their interpretation:

Names The personal names of research participants have been changed and
pseudonyms used for identification.

Association Following consultation with members, association names have not
names been anonymised.

[…] Material that has been edited.

(…) Incomplete sentences without editing.

… Pause in speech.

<laughs> Reactions/actions made by interviewees during interviews.

(I see) Comments made by the researcher during interviews.

(explanation) Explanation or translation offered by researcher for purposes of
clarification.