Entitlement and belonging: social restructuring and multicultural Britain

Burnett, Jon

Abstract

In May 2016, two flagship measures of the Conservative UK government, the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and the Immigration Act 2016 were passed, despite opposition from rights and advocacy organisations, charities and individuals in both fields. Based on wide-ranging research carried out before the Acts’ passage, the article shows how both Acts work in tandem to reinforce and exacerbate a fundamental restructuring of the societal landscape, which will particularly impact on multiracial, inner-city and poor communities. They continue a process in which social entitlements are ever more codified and restricted, rights seen as linked to (and dependent on) responsibilities, with certain categories of persons – undocumented workers, asylum seekers – excluded from some rights altogether. As the state increasingly divests itself of accountability for its actions, it is placing yet more onus on third-sector organisations to become accountable, not to their clients, but to government targets and policies.

Citation

Burnett, J. (2016). Entitlement and belonging: social restructuring and multicultural Britain. Race & class, 56(2), 37-54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306396816657723

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 4, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Sep 30, 2016
• Publication Date: Oct 7, 2016
• Deposit Date: Apr 5, 2023
• Journal: Race & Class
• Print ISSN: 0306-3968
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 56
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 37-54
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0306396816657723
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4076414
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0306396816657723