Non(belonging) of ethnic minority communities in Britain: Researcher reflections

Introduction. There is limited research concerning the experiences of people belonging to ethnic minority communities in predominantly White places (Cline et al., 2002; Garland & Chakraborti, 2006; Scourfield & Davies, 2005). Predominantly White places are those that are inhabited by people from ethnic minority communities with restricted communication with places of worship, cultural institutions and educational norms of their communities, for which they do not feel included (DfES, 2004). In these places, these people not only reside in an invisible state (Bhopal, 2014), but their voices also stay unheard (Chakraborti & Garland, 2004) in official records (Pac-Soo & Taylor, 2023). Studies show that ethnic minority communities experience racism, discrimination, and marginalization in these places due to the hostile attitudes of the majority White community based on factors like race, ethnicity and religion (Myers & Bhopal, 2017). This is problematic, having implications for their belonging in such places. Based on a chief theme of my research findings, which is a sense of belonging, this evaluative critique discusses the reflections of a researcher from an ethnic minority community settled in Britain for over two decades.