White Hegemony and Racism in United Kingdom

White Hegemony and Racism in the Rural and Suburb Areas of the United Kingdom. The work is to be 8 pages with three to five sources, with in-text citations and a reference page. The geography of racial differences in the UK has historically concentrated on the occurrence of this phenomenon in urban areas. However, in recent years, issues of “whiteness”, “nationhood” and “otherness” have spread to the rural and suburban areas of the UK.The idea of the English countryside for most people is almost fantasy-like, where life is easy-flowing and communities are like “small nations”. According to Garland & Chakraborti (2006, pp. 161), the rural life of most communities in England is characterized by a quiet, cozy life, greenery, close-knit relations among people, and deep feelings of belonging. As a result, the countryside is perceived as the place where the “real” England is represented. Accordingly, there is a common perception that the countryside is a very peaceful place, with no cases of racial segregation and violence. On the contrary, other people coming from other towns and cities, especially ethnic minorities always find it hard to fit into the community life. These minorities are then perceived as unwilling to adopt the English culture and are subject to racial discrimination.In the UK, exclusion can range from differences in skin color, cultural identity, and economic status. Nonetheless, it seems that racial segregation is the most dominant form of exclusion practiced by most people in the UK today. The main racial categories include White, Black, and Asian. The White category according to Woodward (2004, pp.139) includes the British and the Irish, while the Black category is made up of people from African and Caribbean countries. The Asians are then categorized as being Chinese, Pakistani, or Indian. However, even within the “White” group, the English still seems to alienate the Irish and the Welsh. The English seem to have a sense of cultural hegemony, which they believe represents true British nationalism. Therefore, any other ethnic group, especially the Irish are seen as a contaminant of British national identity.