Abstract
In this think piece, I discuss a composite category – Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) – that has emerged and expanded to incorporate race, ethnicity, and now also immigration status, in a somewhat clumsy meeting of political narratives and sanitised public health-speak. I look at how this category has been interrogated and put to work in a particular UK mental health setting, one that is committed to improving access and inclusion for ethnic and cultural minorities. Using the analytical tool of ‘thinking with’, I explore how the category was used in relation to an absent majority or mainstream, and consider what such a category might show ‘us’ in all its glaring imperfection. I ask: Is it possible to push forward anthropological thinking by paying attention to these composite, unwieldy categories? Might this be one way to embrace the clumsy conspicuousness of our proverbial elephant in the room?
Highlights
In this think piece, I discuss a composite category – Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) – that has emerged and expanded to incorporate race, ethnicity, and immigration status, in a somewhat clumsy meeting of political narratives and sanitised public health-speak
In the reflexive spirit of this series, I delve into my own uncomfortable sense making of this composite category, in light of received knowledge and expectations from the disciplines of transcultural psychiatry and anthropology itself
I ask: is it possible to push forward anthropological thinking by paying attention to these composite, unruly categories? Building on what we have learned from science studies scholars in the 1990s, what happens when we look beyond singular categories that tend to harden, become naturalised, and disappear from sight (Bowker and Star 1999)? Might this be one way to embrace the clumsy conspicuousness of this proverbial elephant in the room?
Summary
I discuss a composite category – Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) – that has emerged and expanded to incorporate race, ethnicity, and immigration status, in a somewhat clumsy meeting of political narratives and sanitised public health-speak. It is this meeting point, at the intersection of politics, public health, and the psy-disciplines,1 that I am interested in: how this composite category of ethnic and cultural identity relates to eligibility criteria and notions of mental health need.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
