Identity formation in ethnic minority groups
The ‘Identities in transition: Understanding ethnicity and its intersection with gender, religious affiliation and socio-economic position in comparative perspective’ (Transid) project was set up to develop a series of studies related to the intersection of ethnic identity with gender, religion and socioeconomic standing. Toward this end, the EU-funded team employed a comparative approach looking to investigate the role of national context in ethnic and religious identification. Specifically, they sought to gather knowledge on how the identity of minority ethnic group members is shaped and reformed over generations. The study was also extended to an examination of how gender influences identification. An intensive literature review was conducted as well as a review of data sources from various countries. The latter included the European Social Survey, Dutch migration survey data, and labour force surveys from Spain, France and the United Kingdom. Project work succeeded in fostering a number of ongoing collaborations that ensure continuation of the programme of work and its enhancement over time. Research contributed significant insights into matters of ethnic and religious identification, gendered social processes and ethnic inequalities. Transid findings outline, among others, economic inequalities within groups of ethnic minority women, how ethnicity and income reinforce each other in the development of minority social networks, and that inequality among minority groups can be better understood at the intersection of ethnicity and religious affiliation among minorities. Study results are important for both policy making and civil society.