British South Asian Voices | Full Panel Discussion | Oxford Union Web Series

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The unique British South Asian experience is lauded throughout British popular culture in series such as Goodness Gracious Me and films including Bend it Like Beckham. Yet behind these caricatures lies a darker reality that immigrants, regardless of generation, continue to be targeted with a pervasive sense of ‘otherness’. While some groups, such as British Indians, are often hailed as the ‘model minority’ on account of their contribution to the country, others are ostracised for their alleged failure to assimilate.

On an individual level, a desire to maintain links to one’s heritage and to balance the British and Asian aspects in one’s identity can take its toll. How can one’s religion and culture interact with a fierce ‘Britishness’, without one undermining the other? Is it possible to overcome ‘The Good Immigrant’? Can the multicultural ideal be fulfilled?

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Lord Indarjit Singh join us to answer these questions and others.

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