ABSTRACT
This is a book which explores an important and I would say timely topic, namely what kinds of prejudices and biases might be operating in everyday life in contemporary British society, revolving around race and ethnicity, especially in the broad area of employment. I say ‘timely’, but equally I could have said ‘timeless’ because this issue has been debated and argued about for decades. It is a highly charged debate and the emotions associated with accusations of racial prejudice and the counter-accusations that often greet them are intense. On the one hand we have claims of ‘prejudice at work’, ‘racial discrimination’ and ‘ethnic bias’, sometimes based on ‘hard facts’ like employment statistics, which seem to indicate significant inequalities attributable to race or ethnicity. On the other side, and often equally loud and passionate, we have statements like ‘forget it, prejudice is a thing of the past’, ‘We are fair and transparent in all of our dealings, especially when it comes to issues to do with employment’, and ‘Don’t you see that some people are trying to get some extra advantage by crying “prejudice” whenever, and wherever, they can?’ These latter opinions are often expressed by fair-minded but exasperated individuals, and the opinions are based directly on their years of experience in the world of work; they have conducted numerous interviews, they have advertised posts and shortlisted in the most fair and transparent ways they can manage. What more can they do? The emotions on both sides show no signs of diminishing and the gulf, if anything, is widening. There is a chasm of misunderstanding and almost certainly mistrust.
