Ethical uses of race and migration data
Speaker(s):
Bio: I completed my PhD exploring changing tenure, household structure and spatial polarisation at Manchester in 2016. Since then I have taught in Sociology at Warwick and Geography at Nottingham. Since returning to Manchester I have worked on the training programme for census 2021/22, engaging with the voluntary and community sector and with the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity on race equality in Manchester and the Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS).
Abstract:
This webinar explores the ethical issues that need to be considered when researching race and migration with a particular focus on census data. Due to the geographical specificity of the data it is open to misuse to reinforce tropes of swamping, British culture under threat and the white British as a minority in cities. The population of Muslims in local authority areas was used to determine the allocation of funds for the Preventing Violent Extremism programme which led to social control and monitoring of 'suspect' populations. The release of data on migrants supported stories about Albanian migrants. Research shows that the majority of those arriving were granted refugee status, including those from Albania.
This paper argues that these potential harms justify the development of ethical practices when researching and publishing information about racialised migrants and minorities and the promotion of critical approaches to media reporting of related stories.