ABSTRACT
According to Ruth (2006), identity is about who we are and what we are. For Africans as the group under consideration, they will have a range of different social or cultural identities. These multiple identities play a part in shaping the way they think, feel and act. Ruth goes on to suggest that identities can be categorized into specific labels such as colour, religion, gender and age. However, it needs to be acknowledged that the categories listed do not represent an exhaustive list, because there are many more categories people can identify with. For each individual, some of these identities will be more significant than others. The enduring identities can be grouped under the social category umbrella (Nkomo and Cox 1996). These broader social categories are likely to be more salient for most people, but this should not be taken for granted. However, identities that are significant play a stronger role than less significant ones in shaping the way people are in terms of the values and priorities that people attach to their lives (Ruth 2006). He goes on to suggest that key identities vary from time to time during people’s lifetime due to ever changing situations that bring about greater awareness of self. It seems therefore relevant that individuals regularly reflect on their key identities that make them who they are, as a basis for maintaining a positive self-image. This positive selfimage can be promoted through cultural identity resulting from shared history and ancestry that an identifiable group of people hold in common. Hall (1990) considers that cultural identities are important because they reflect historical experiences and cultural codes which provide people with a frame of reference. This frame of reference enables people to move back and forth because cultural identity belongs to the future as well as to the
past, suggesting that cultural identities undergo constant transformation. Cultural identity of Africans in the twenty-first century has been shaped by a shared history and ancestry as well as the shared experience of being colonized by a people with a different history. On migration to the West, Africans would rely of their cultural identity as frame of reference to assist them in negotiating a successful path in a foreign land. In view of this, it would seem appropriate to raise a generic question on issues of identity. How do Africans living in the UK see themselves? Based on Elam and Chinouya’s (2000) study on African populations living in the UK, a number of factors were found to be significant in people’s identities: age, immigration status, nationality and country of origin. Older and younger people identified with Africa in divergent ways; strong connection with Africa was noted as significant among older people and less among younger people, who identified more readily with European culture. Exclusion from opportunities to secure British citizenship was found to have contributed to externalization, thereby creating an identity of the ‘other’. In view of the differences of identity between older and younger people, both groups would need to deal with issues of identity, but in different ways, particularly if there are internalized negativities resulting from life experiences. It is necessary that African families living in the UK deal with issues of identity: a number of studies have indicated that there are correlations between negative racial identity and low self-esteem (Lester 2000, Maxime 1993, Cross 1980, 1991). The techniques used to address issues of low self-esteem associated with racial identity would need to be age specific because young people and adults will have different histories to tell. Apart from age considerations in planning intervention methods, parental backgrounds would need to be taken into account because some people may have one parent who is black African and the other who is white European. This group of people with a dual heritage has received research attention and exercised the minds of social care workers. In view of this, attention is needed to address identity issues specific to them with a view to learn about best practices and isolating areas for future research. Currently there are young people, whose parents are African and European, and therefore have a dual heritage. In discussing African family life, it is important to take into account the views of children with a mixed cultural identity. There are polarized ideological debates in academic circles about identity issues and mixed families. One camp favours a black perspective for all children of African and European heritage, the other camp preferring a mixed perspective (Barn and Harman 2006). This polarization suggests that the politics of race and ethnicity is still exercising the minds of many who have an interest or work in the field of social care. Perhaps the solution need not be that complicated because it lies within the individual. Therefore, listening to young people about self-categorization with the support of their parents would seem to be appropriate. Research evidence suggests that many categorize themselves as having two cultural identities that they tap into to produce a new one (Caballero et al. 2008).
