Balti Britain: A Provocative Journey Through Asian Britain

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Granta Books, Mar 22, 2012 - Biography & Autobiography - 400 pages
Sardar travels to Asian communities throughout the UK to tell the history of Asians in Britain - from the arrival of the first Indian in 1614, to the young extremists in Walthamstow mosque in 2006. He interweaves throughout an illuminating account of his own life, describing his carefree childhood in Pakistan, his family's emigration to racist 1950s Britain, and his adulthood straddling two cultures. Along the way he asks: are arranged marriages a good thing? Does the term 'Asian' obscure more than it conveys? Do vindaloo and balti actually exist? And is multiculturalism an impossible dream?
 

Contents

Title Page
Being Asian
Whats in a Name?
4A Hackney Adolescence
Home and Away
Bhawalnagar Wedding
Children of Britain
Empire and Entanglement
A History of Belonging
Riots Racism and Respect
Terrorists Amongst
Forward to a New Multiculturalism
After the Dress Rehearsal
Index
About the Author
Copyright

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About the author (2012)

Ziauddin Sardar was born in Pakistan in 1951 and grew up in East London. He works as a journalist and broadcaster and has published over 40 books, including Desperately Seeking Paradise. He is Visiting Professor of Postcolonial Studies at City University, London.

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