British Asians: Difference between revisions

| langs = [[British English]]{{·}}[[Languages of Asia|Asian languages]]<br />{{smaller|[[Bengali language|Bengali]]{{·}}[[Burmese language|Burmese]]{{·}}[[Cantonese]]{{·}}[[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]{{·}}[[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]]{{·}}[[Hindi]]{{·}}

[[Tamil language|Tamil]]{{·}}[[Haryanvi]]{{·}}[[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]]{{·}}[[Min Chinese|Min]]{{·}}[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]{{·}}[[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]{{·}}[[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]{{·}}[[Sinhalese language|Sinhala]]{{·}}[[Sylheti language|Sylheti]]{{·}}[[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]{{·}}[[Thai language|Thai]]{{·}} [[Urdu in the United Kingdom|Urdu]]}}

| related = {{hlist|[[Asian people]]|[[Asian Americans]]|[[Asian Canadians]]|[[Asian Caribbeans]]|[[Asian Africans]]|[[Asian Brazilians]]}}

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'''British Asians''' (also referred to as '''Asian Britons''')<ref>{{cite book |doi= 10.1007/978-1-349-26302-8_4 |chapter=British Asian Entrepreneurs: Culture and Opportunity Structures |first1=Tariq |last1=Modood |first2=Hilary |last2=Metcalf |first3=Satnam |last3=Virdee |title=Choice and Public Policy |year=1998 |pages=62–78 |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Taylor-Gooby |publisher= Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-333-73131-4 }}</ref> are British people of [[Asian people|Asian]] descent. They constitute a significant and growing minority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with a population of 5.76 million people or 8.6% of the population identifying as Asian or Asian British in the [[2021 United Kingdom census]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethnic group - Census Maps, ONS |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/maps/choropleth/identity/ethnic-group/ethnic-group-tb-6a/asian-asian-british-or-asian-welsh |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=www.ons.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref name="2022census_Scot"/><ref name=NICensus2021/> This represented an increase from a 6.9% share of the UK population in 2011, and a 4.4% share in 2001.

 

 

There is a long history of migration to the [[United Kingdom]] (and its predecessor states) from across [[Asia]]. British colonies and protectorates throughout Asia brought [[lascar]]s (sailors and militiamen) to port cities in Britain. Immigration of small numbers of [[South Asians]] to England began with the arrival of the [[East India Company]] to the [[Indian subcontinent]], and the decline of the [[Mughal Empire]], at the end of the 16th century. Between the 17th and mid-19th century, increasingly diverse lascar crews heading for Britain imported [[East Asia]]ns, such as Japanese and Chinese seamen, [[Southeast Asia]]ns, such as [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malays]], South Asians such as the Indians (including the people from Pakistan), Bengalis and Ceylonese and post-[[Suez Canal]]; [[West Asia]]ns, such as Armenians and [[Yemenis in the United Kingdom|Yemenis]], who settled throughout the United Kingdom.

 

==Terminology==

 

In [[British English]] usage, the term ''Asian'' usually refers to people who trace their ancestry to [[South Asia]], in particular the former [[British Raj]] and [[British Ceylon|Ceylon]] (the modern countries of [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Sri Lanka]] and the [[Maldives]]). The [[British Sociological Association]]'s guidelines on equality and diversity suggest that "South Asian" is more precise than "Asian" and that the latter should not be used where there is a risk of it conflating South Asians with people from elsewhere in Asia.<ref name=BSA/>

 

== Demographics ==

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===2021 census===

 

Due to a growing sense of affiliation with Britain, many third generation South Asians chose to not mark "Asian or British Asian" and instead marked "British Asian" in the "Other Asian" write in section.<ref name="Gardener">{{cite web|last1=Gardener|first1=David |last2=Connolly|first2=Helen |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/other_ethnicgroups.pdf |title=Who are the 'Other' ethnic groups?|publisher=Office for National Statistics|date=October 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215210252/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/other_ethnicgroups.pdf|archive-date=15 February 2006}}</ref>

 

The [[Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962]] and [[Immigration Act 1971]] largely restricted any further [[primary immigration]], although family members of already-settled migrants were still allowed. In addition, much of the subsequent growth in the South Asian community has come from the births of second and third-generation South Asian Britons.

 

==Notable contributions==

 

===Music===

 

In 2009, R&B and hip-hop artist, [[Mumzy Stranger]], became the first British Bangladeshi to release a music single; titled "One More Dance".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtviggy.com/desi/music-video-mumzy-stranger-one-more-dance |title=Music Video: "One More Dance" by Mumzy Stranger|publisher=MTV Iggy |date=28 May 2009|access-date=18 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531002148/http://www.mtviggy.com/desi/music-video-mumzy-stranger-one-more-dance|archive-date=31 May 2009}}</ref> In October 2009, Jay Sean's single "[[Down (Jay Sean song)|Down]]" reached the #1 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Johnson| first=Billy Jr. |url=http://new.music.yahoo.com/programs/the-new-now/2108/jay-sean-american-boy|title=Jay Sean: American Boy|work=[[Yahoo! Music]]|date=8 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012054639/http://new.music.yahoo.com/programs/the-new-now/2108/jay-sean-american-boy|archive-date=12 October 2009}}</ref> and sold four million copies in the United States,<ref name="riaa">{{cite web|title=Searchable Database |publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] |url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH |access-date=21 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626050454/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH |archive-date=26 June 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=After 2,000 gigs, Hounslow singer tops the US charts|last=Akbar|first=Arifa |newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=30 October 2009|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/after-2000-gigs-hounslow-singer-tops-the-us-charts-1811724.html|access-date=30 October 2009}}</ref> making him the first South Asian-origin solo artist and "the first UK [[Urban contemporary|Urban]] act to top ''Billboard''{{'}}s Hot 100,"<ref>{{cite news|title=Jay Sean's the Urban US legend|newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]]|date=10 October 2009|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/10/10/jay-sean-s-the-urban-us-legend-115875-21736136/|access-date=30 September 2009}}</ref> "the most successful male UK urban artist in US chart history,"<ref>{{cite news|last=Youngs |first=Ian |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8269400.stm |title=British R&B star conquers America |work=BBC News |date=23 September 2009 |access-date=8 October 2009}}</ref> and the most successful British male artist in the US charts since [[Elton John]] in 1997. A new generation of British Asian musicians have followed such as [[Raxstar]], Bilal and Nish. In the early 2010s, Asian boy band members, [[Siva Kaneswaran]] of [[the Wanted]] and [[Zayn Malik]] of [[One Direction]], have gained considerable mainstream popularity worldwide; the Wanted reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with "[[Glad You Came]]" while One Direction topped the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] with ''[[Up All Night (One Direction album)|Up All Night]]''. British Bangladeshi YouTuber-turned-rapper Koomz is best known for his breakthrough single "Mariah" which has hit over 10 million streams and views across many platforms and also Number 1 in the Official Asian Music Chart of 2018.<ref name="bbclondon">{{Cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bSM8lAC4rk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/3bSM8lAC4rk |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Amar Koomz: from Brixton to the big time |work=BBC London|via=YouTube|date=15 August 2018|access-date=20 September 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/11/asian-underground-music-eastern-electro-drumnbass|website=[[The Guardian]]|title=The birth of Asian underground: 'This music was for us and by us, and that was very powerful'|first=Ammar|last=Kalia|date=11 January 2019|access-date=3 June 2020}}</ref>

Like India, Bhangra music has become popular among many in Britain<ref>{{cite news|last=Dixon |first=Martha|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3117432.stm |title=Bhangra fusion gathers support |publisher=BBC|date=18 September 2003|access-date=3 June 2020}}</ref> not only from the works of [[List of British Asian people#Music|British South Asian musicians]] such as [[Panjabi MC]], [[Swami (band)|Swami]] and [[Rishi Rich]] but also incorporated into the works of a number of non-South Asian musicians not only British but including North American artists such as Canadian [[Shania Twain]], who created a whole alternate version of her multi-platinum album ''[[Up! (album)|Up!]]'' with full Indian instrumentation, produced by South Asian producers [[Simon & Diamond]]. Diamond, better known as [[DJ Swami]] has also collaborated with rapper [[Pras]], of the [[Fugees]], and his band [[Swami (band)|Swami]] have become one of the most renowned acts in South Asian music history, having had songs in major Hollywood movies and best-selling video games.

 

 

[[File:British Asian musicians combining Eastern and Western musical traditions.jpg|thumb|British Asian musicians combining Eastern and Western musical traditions]]

 

==Social and political issues==

===Discrimination and racism===

[[File:Shaheed Minar, Altab Ali Park.jpg|thumb|A ''Shaheed Minar'' in [[Altab Ali Park]], [[Whitechapel]] renamed in honour of the Bangladeshi racial victim Altab Ali]]

* [[Ugandan migration to the United Kingdom]], primarily of [[Indians in Uganda|Ugandan Asian origin]]

{{div col end}}

 

==References==

{{reflist|30em}}