INVESTIGATE WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN BRITAIN BETWEEN 1948 - 1962

Between 1948 and 1962 workers from the colonies could migrate to Britain without restriction. Until 1962 every Commonwealth citizen was entitled to enter the United Kingdom at will.

This right had been freely exercised for many years but it was only in the 10 years from 1952 onwards that substantial numbers of people from the Commonwealth began to think of settling in Britain.

Under the British Nationality Act 1948, citizens of British colonies could simply apply to the Home Office for registration of British nationality and were issued with certificates.

The South Asian citizens who could obtain certificates included many who came to Britain from other colonies, such as indentured labourers from the West Indies and families who had settled in East Africa.

HOW WAS THE SOCIAL LANDSCAPE CHANGING?

The social landscape was changing quite drastically as many ethnic minorities were coming to Britain. Any Commonwealth citizen who wanted to work and settle in the United Kingdom had to obtain Ministry of Labour Vouchers. These were issued under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 and 1969. The vouchers were issued in three categories:

• Category A: For applications by employers in this country who had a specific job to offer to a particular Commonwealth citizen.
• Category B: For applications by Commonwealth citizens without a specific job to come to but with certain special qualifications (such as nurses, teachers, medical doctors)
• Category C: For all others

HOW DID THE CHANGING SOCIAL LANDSCAPE LEAD TO A ‘RACIALISATION’ OF BRITISH POLITICS?

There were fears that the influx of immigrants could have negative impacts upon the amount of jobs available for British citizens. Between 1962 and 1971, the British government tightened reigns regarding immigration. They introduced a law which meant that only British subjects who had strong links with the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, had the right of abode, the right to live and work in here.

REPRESENTATION WORKS THROUGH CONSTRUCTION – HOW WERE BLACK PEOPLE REPRESENTED IN THE FILM?

Whilst watching both the films Flame in the Streets and Sapphire, the overall theme was that Black people were represented in a negative way. In Flame in the Streets, there were both white people against black people, but also a white character who was in love with a black man. This showed that stigmas were changing and the daughter who was in love with a black man didn’t care what other people thought of her. In the factory scenes, it was shown that Black people were able to get good jobs, as there was a black man with a high-ranking position. Also, most of the workers were white, which showed that whites aren’t always best at everything.

 Also, the father was only against the daughter’s relationship because of the negative impacts it might have upon her life, not because he had a problem with her being with a black man.

CONSIDERING YOUR RESEARCH AND FILM ANALYSIS – HOW DOES THE FILM PUT ACROSS A SENSE OF COLLECTIVE IDENTITY OF BLACK BRITISH PEOPLE?


The overall theme from both research and the film suggests that there was generally a negative stereotype surrounding black people. This puts across a sense of collective identity of black British people as it puts every single black person into 'the same boat.' It scoops Black Africans and Black Carribeans all together and ignores that they both have different cultures and aren't just the same. It's like suggesting that I am the same as a white American teenager purely because we're both white; It may be that we have similar values as we are both Westernised cultures, but we may have completely separate interests so therefore cannot be grouped together.