Navigating Racialisation and Whiteness: British Turks’ Struggles for Belonging in Multiscale Public Spaces within the UK

Abstract

This paper explores the complex dynamics of racialization and whiteness within the context of British Turks’ pursuit of belonging in multiscale public spaces in the UK. It examines how these dynamics ultimately lead them to perceive themselves as “non-British” and affirm their place as “Other” within mainstream British society. Based on their experiences in multiscale spatialities, ranging from urban and provincial cities to university campuses and pubs, this study delves into subtle forms of exclusions and stigmatizations tied to differentiated ways British Turks are racialized, revealing how racial identities are constantly reconstructed and contested in these spaces. Based on the discourses of racialization and whiteness emanating from the social and political context in which xenophobia and Islamophobia emerge, the findings highlight the need to consider the intersections of race, ethnicity, culture, and religion in understanding how British Turks constantly question their place and belonging in the UK and confront racial boundaries and different forms of racisms including Islamophobia within various settings in Britain.