The ethnicisation of need

This policy paper focuses on the role that ethnicity played in the provision of support and services for post-accession migrants living in Glasgow, based on intensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted throughout 2012 with Czech- and Slovak-speaking migrants living in the city. It is based on the PhD research project ‘Everyday negotiations of in/securities and risks: an ethnographic study amongst Czech- and Slovak-speaking migrants in Glasgow’ which was co-funded by the ESRC and Glasgow City Council. The paper argues that using ethnicity as a straightforward, ‘naturally existing’ category and making it a requirement for individuals’ access to certain services has problematic implications for affected migrants as well as service providers and policy-makers