The Making of a Good White - E-thesis - Helsinki.fi

empty talk, a non-functional tactic. Therefore it was no surprise that in the
course of the fieldwork it became obvious that Kobus had formed amiable
relationships with some coloured people.
After two rape incidents in homes in the area, the community formed
a well-organised neighbourhood watch. Muslims played an active part in
this mobilisation. This also affected Kobus’ attitude towards Muslims,
which I witnessed in the course of my fieldwork.
“Muslims are really the people you can talk to. They are committed
and sensible. We are on very friendly terms: how could anybody ever
claim that we are racists here? We work together like a family.” (Kobus,
13.8.1999.)
The fact that the Muslims form competition for the whites could partly
explain the initial resistance to them. They are ambitious and often run
small businesses similar to those of the whites in the area. If a mosque is
established in the area, it will attract even more Muslims, who will then
perhaps become a majority. In my fieldwork I sensed that the different
groups in the community are exploring one another at present. The official
alliances have thus far only been against the common enemy, crime,
rather than unity in any ’positive’ sense.
The white hard-core group is not only shrinking in number and conviction,
those who remain are not even unanimous in their opposition against
Muslims. Even though it seems that some of the residents see the arrival
of Muslims as a culturally alien invasion, there is very little they can do
to reverse the course of events.
For the white residents it is crucial to develop new solutions and alliances.
Affluent whites can still fortify themselves in distant suburbs,
behind security gates and razor wire. Many Ruyterwacht residents cannot
afford isolation. They have to find other ways of dealing with the changes,
of drawing and redrawing the boundaries of their community.
In their attempts to gain real political influence in the suburb, the arrivistes
of Group A are more similar to the hierarchists of Group C than
a first look reveals, since both groups accept authority, leadership and
domination (Douglas 1996: 46). In Ruyterwacht, the hierarchists and arrivistes
embrace one another across racial lines, perhaps reluctantly at
times, but knowing full well it is the only choice for both groups if they
wish to keep their suburb secure.
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