Transnational practices in local settings: experiences of citizenship among Bangladesh-origin Muslims in Luton

This project examines the relationship between the local and transnational citizenship experiences of Bangladesh-origin Muslims in Luton. The project considers how local political identities influence processes of transnational engagement, and explores how transnational identities and relationships in turn inform local political subjectivity. In recognition of the fact that formal citizenship by itself seldom guarantees that an individual will be able to participate in political life, this project considers citizenship through an examination of ‘substantive’ dimensions of socio-political engagement. This includes examination of the degree to which access to education, employment, housing and healthcare, as well as local political processes and civil society, reflect not only ‘formal statuses’ but ‘effective citizenship’

New racisms, new racial subjects? The neo-liberal moment and the racial landscape of contemporary Britain

The articles in this volume reflect upon a very specific moment in the social architecture of British society: a moment which brings financial meltdown together with some sizeable shifts in the racial and ethnic landscape of the UK. As a ‘neoliberal revolution’ (Hall 2011) heralds the end of public services and the end of the welfare state, it proclaims ‘the end of race’ as well. But cultural retrenchment and coded xenophobia have also been sweeping the political terrain, accompanied by ‘new racisms’ and ‘new racial subjects’ which only close contextual analysis can unpick. Against those who suggest we live in a post-racial time, the research presented offers friction. By focusing on particular locations in Britain at a particular moment, the articles explore local stories of ‘race’ and racism across changing socio-political ground

Abjects or agents? Camps, contests and the creation of ‘political space’

The ‘Urdu-speaking population’ in Bangladesh, displaced by the Partition in 1947 and made ‘stateless’ by the Liberation War of 1971, exemplifies some of the key problems facing uprooted populations. Exploring differences of ‘camp’ and ‘non-camp’ based displacement, this article represents a critical evaluation of the way ‘political space’ is contested at the local level and what this reveals about the nature and boundaries of citizenship. Semi-structured and narrative interviews conducted among ‘camp’ and ‘non-camp’ based ‘Urdu-speakers’ found that citizenship status has been profoundly affected by the spatial dynamics of settlement. However, it also revealed the ways in which ‘formal’ status is subverted – the moments of negotiation in which claims to political being are made. In asking how and when a ‘stateless’ population is able to ‘access’ citizenship, through which processes and by which means, it reveals the tension, ambiguity and conceptual limitations of ‘statelessness’ and citizenship, unearthing a reality of partial, shifting and deceptively permeable terrain. In doing so, it also reveals the dissonance and discord (constitutive of an ‘us’ and ‘them’ divide) upon which the creation of ‘political space’ may rely. Citizenship functions to exclude and, therefore, it is very often born of contestation

The demobilization of diaspora: history, memory and ‘latent identity’

In the context of sustained interest in the mobilization of diasporic identities, I consider how and why diasporic identities might be demobilized over time. I use the case of an Indian Pakistani community in the UK and the USA (sometimes referred to as ‘Bihari’) to examine how historical memories of conflict are narrated in diaspora and the impact this has on the presence or absence of ‘diasporic consciousness'. The significance of memory in diasporic and transnational communities has been neglected, especially where the narration of historical events is concerned. The impact of forgetting has received particularly scant attention. I argue that, in the absence of this story, important lessons about the role of history in the formation of community are obscured. In this example, the ‘latent’ identities created on diaspora's demobilization help us to unpick the dyadic relations of ‘home’ and ‘away’ at the heart of essentialist conceptualizations of the concept

Rethinking Muslim migration: frameworks, flux and fragmentation

In the wake of the San Bernardino and Orlando shootings, as well as the Paris and Brussels attacks, and in the midst of the right wing populism of US. presidential campaigns and UK referendum debates, the political rhetoric around Muslim migration has sunk to an all-time low. The Bengal Diaspora provides a much needed antidote. By studying Muslim migration across continents the book provides insights into a global climate of Islamophobia, and it challenges us to think critically about migration theory’s universalizing logic. In this review essay, we will focus on the three areas of study in which the book makes the most striking intervention, as well as three questions left unanswered or posed for future work

The New Muslims - Introduction

In this collection we have sought to challenge dominant representations of Muslims in Britain by gathering the views and insights of researchers who have been seeking to understand the contemporary identities of those racialized as Muslim in the UK and the politics which surrounds their presence. We hope in some small way to counter the dominant understandings of British Muslim identities where these are based on falsehoods and generalizations, and to highlight the complexities, nuances and diversity of identities among Muslims in Britain. We do this as part of our ongoing project to ensure that our public policy debates and civil society discussions are based on robust, evidence-based analysis rather than sensationalist, knee-jerk responses. In the coming weeks and months, our government will be revisiting its approach to integration and security in the light of the monstrous terrorist attack in Woolwich, South London. We hope that the perspectives presented in this collection occasion some pause for thought so that any policy developments in this area contribute to, rather than detract from, the task of building a successful multi-ethnic society

Sustainability appraisal: Jack of all trades, master of none?

Sustainable development is a commonly quoted goal for decision making and supports a large number of other discourses. Sustainability appraisal has a stated goal of supporting decision making for sustainable development. We suggest that the inherent flexibility of sustainability appraisal facilitates outcomes that often do not adhere to the three goals enshrined in most definitions of sustainable development: economic growth, environmental protection and enhancement, and the wellbeing of the human population. Current practice is for sustainable development to be disenfranchised through the interpretation of sustainability, whereby the best alternative is good enough even when unsustainable. Practitioners must carefully and transparently review the frameworks applied during sustainability appraisal to ensure that outcomes will meet the three goals, rather than focusing on a discourse that emphasises one or more goals at the expense of the other(s)

Can multinational companies foster institutional change and sustainable development in emerging countries? A case study.

Emerging countries present institutional necessities that hinder their sustainable development. In the face of this challenge, companies, and in particular multinational companies (MNCs), can foster sustainable development through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This study focuses on the role of institutional change in transforming CSR into sustainable development in emerging countries. To this end, we propose a view of CSR focused on its institutional determinants and outcomes from a social and developmental perspective. By using quantitative and qualitative data, we analyse the case of three MNCs from different industries based in Europe and operating in Mexico. The case study shows how firms can stimulate institutional change in developing economies and contribute to their sustainable development as measured by the sustainable development goals. Various mechanisms about how this process is made are devised: institutional entrepreneurship, multistakeholder initiatives, interconnection of different institutional dimensions, and subsidiary entrepreneurship. The case study highlights the interaction among MNCs, developing countries, and institutions and how firms' sustainable actions scale up to the macro level.post-print399 K