Proceso de organización curricular de la disciplina integradora

Warwickshire census data (2011) was used to provide an overview of the geography and demographics that affected the scope of the data collected. Although the specific case studies will give deeper insights into these considerations, there were some initial observations about the geographical location and demographics that affected the general external constraints placed on the fieldwork.

5.2.1 Geographical Location

Warwickshire is a non-metropolitan county that lies in the West Midlands region (Figure 5.1), at the heart of the UK (Figure 5.2). The boundaries of this county are peculiar, since Coventry, Solihull and Birmingham, became separated from Warwickshire in 1974 following a re-organisation of the local area into metropolitan and non- metropolitan county districts (due to The Local Government Act of 1972). This means that Warwickshire itself does not have any major cities, but there are a number of large towns, including Nuneaton and Rugby, as well as a few historically-important and prosperous areas such as Royal Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick. The south of the county is largely rural and includes a small area of the Cotswolds, which was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1966. The county is made up of five districts: North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford and Warwick (Figure 5.3). Each district has its own local council, which is responsible for providing services to the local area.

Figure 5.1: Map of West Midlands Region in England (above left)

Figure 5.2: Map of Warwickshire County in England (above right)

Figure 5.3: District map of Warwickshire (left)

The geography of Warwickshire demonstrates why it is such an interesting county: a number of major UK cities are extremely close, but were made distinct from the more rural (and generally more affluent) areas of the region for administrative purposes. Although it is difficult to hypothesise on the impact that these divisions of power- structure had on the residents’ perceptions of their local communities, my experience of speaking to long-standing Warwickshire residents and local teachers demonstrated how

they made distinctions between their location and nearby cities; they frequently noted differences in the geographical make-up and demographics to demonstrate their comparatively privileged lifestyles.

5.2.2 Demographic Data

5.2.2a Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire

The most recent census data (2011) and other documents from the Office for National Statistics have been used to provide a brief overview of the comparative demographics of the West Midlands. The information available is extensive, thus I have focussed on those aspects that featured most prominently in the data: the ethnic and religious heritage of Warwickshire residents and the nearby cities of Birmingham and Coventry, to highlight some of the key comparative considerations.

The estimated population of the UK is 63.7 million: the 2011 census showed that the largest ethnic group in England and Wales was white (86% of the population – 80.5% categorised themselves as White British), with the largest minority ethnic groups including those from Indian, Pakistani, African and Caribbean origins. The most ethnically diverse regions are London and the West Midlands. The dominant religion is Christianity (59.3%), with Islam the second largest (4.8%), followed by Hinduism (1.5%) and Sikhism (0.8%); 25% declared themselves as having no religion (7.2% religion not stated) (Office for National Statistics 2012).

The tables below summarise the ethnic and religious demographic data from the West Midlands and highlights the regional data from Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire, to demonstrate the comparative differences between these geographical areas.

Table 5.1: Largest Regional Ethnic Groups

West Midlands Birmingham Coventry Warwickshire

White 79.2% 53.1% 66.6% 88.5%

Pakistani 4.1% 13.5% 3% <1%

Indian 3.9% 6% 8.8% 3%

Table 5.2: Largest Regional Religious Groups

West Midlands Birmingham Coventry Warwickshire

Christianity 60.2% 46.1% 53.7% 64.5%

Islam 6.7% 21.8% 7.5% 1.1%

Sikhism 2.4% 3% 5% 1.7%

No Religion 22% 19.3% 23% 24.1%

The statistics demonstrate how the ethnic and religious diversity between Warwickshire and two nearby cities are noticeably different. The variety in such a relatively small geographical area makes comparisons between peoples and cultures in these regions more noticeable – highlighting the possible importance that racial or religious understanding may have on the participants of this study. See Umaňa-Taylor 2005 and Cantle 2012 for more details on how ethnic and religious diversity (sometimes called the “ethnic cliff”) can affect individuals and communities.

A brief examination of the previous census data (from 2001) also demonstrated that the internal diversity of Warwickshire has changed over the past 10 years, with a recent decrease in the number of people categorising themselves as White or Christian, which could have contributed to the participant's perceptions of regional change.

5.2.2b Warwickshire Districts

Additional Warwickshire Observatory documents (2009) revealed that Warwickshire has low crime rates, high employment figures and good school examination results: again demonstrating the relatively privileged lifestyle of the communities in this county. With respect to the specific census data on each district, I again focussed on the ethnic and religious diversity, but incorporated some additional information, as this was important for the context of the data gathered.

In general, the dominant ethnic group was White, with Stratford-on-Avon having over 93% in this category (the lowest district was Warwick at 83.4%). The population of those from Pakistani heritage was between <0.1% (North Warwickshire and Stratford) and 0.6% (Rubgy), and those from Indian heritage between 0.5% (Stratford) and 4.9% (Warwick). All districts had over 92% of residents using English as the main language and about 75% male employment rate (over 65% female). The comparative religious differences between the districts were of particular interest and have thus been presented in the table below.

Table 5.3: Warwickshire District Data on Religious Diversity North

Warwickshire Nuneaton andBedworth Rugby Stratford-upon-Avon Warwick

Christianity 70.3% 63.6% 63.7% 70.3% 58.3%

Islam 0.2% 2.3% 1.2% 0.2% 0.9%

Sikhism 0.4% 2.2% 0.8% 0.2% 3.9%

No Religion 21.9% 24% 24.3% 21.2% 27.5%

These subtle differences between Warwickshire districts were noticeable in the data collected; the local surroundings affected how the participants perceived themselves and how they perceived their location in comparison to nearby cities (in particular

Birmingham). In my opinion, it was the underlying power-knowledge dynamics associated with noticeable difference (hegemony) that impacted how the participants divulged their perceptions about terrorism.

However, although perceptions of the local area could have been influential to the pupils' perceptions of terrorism, additional research would need to be conducted to see if these views also contributed to any emerging terrorist threats, or to wider problems associated with multiculturalism and community segregation (Thomas 2011). Some scholars and commentators have raised concerns that Britain is “sleepwalking to segregation” (Phillips 2005) and that there has been a “white backlash” (Hewitt 2005) against certain ethnic and religious communities, but since my research was only conducted in schools, this thesis cannot (nor did it intend to) hypothesise about such concerns. My findings, including those outlined below from the Police Prevent Team, should be considered part of the conversation into how local differences can contribute to the perceptions of terrorism expressed by pupils, rather than something that necessarily exposes wider concerns about the possible failings of multiculturalism.