Beyond Place: Ethnicity/Race in the Debate on Social Exclusion/Inclusion in Scotland

Abstract

This article examines the extent to which the discourses on social exclusion/inclusion and policy interventions have addressed the issue of race/ethnicity in the Scottish context. Based on a review of literature and government policy documents, the article concludes that, while there have been some attempts to address issues of race and ethnicity and to take ‘institutional racism’ seriously, there are a number of recurrent themes which emerge, suggesting that there has been limited success with regard to the ‘mainstreaming’ of race/ethnicity within the discourses and policy interventions on social exclusion/inclusion in Scotland. The overwhelming emphasis on economic or labour market participation, the lack of interrogation of the notion of a ‘homogenous cultural majority’, which underpins policy discourses, and the lack of ‘race proofing’ of the social inclusion milestones and targets have resulted in a inconsistent and piecemeal approach to issues of race/ethnicity. For race/ethnicity to be taken seriously, policy discourses and debates will have to develop approaches and analyses which interrogate the assumptions that privilege the views and values of the so-called ‘cultural majority’, to ensure an approach which embeds race equality and avoids reinforcing the boundaries between the ‘included’ and ‘excluded’.