Fatima Rajina, "British Bangladeshi Muslims in the East End: The Changing Landscape of Dress and Language" (Manchester UP, 2024)
Nov 30, 2024
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Fatima Rajina, a senior fellow at the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, discusses her book on British Bangladeshi Muslims in the East End. She examines how factors like the global war on terror have reshaped men's sartorial choices and language use. Rajina highlights the historical and cultural significance of clothing, exploring its evolution from tradition to modern identity markers, particularly among younger generations. The conversation challenges mainstream narratives by showcasing the community's rich cultural expressions and the impact of imperial legacies.
The podcast emphasizes the diverse meanings of traditional garments like the kurta and shalwar kameez, showcasing their role in cultural identity and social status among British Bangladeshi Muslims.
It highlights the generational divide within the community as younger members increasingly favor Arabic language instruction over retaining their ancestral Bengali, reflecting shifting cultural priorities.
The discussion reveals how dress choices among British Bangladeshi men signify broader issues of assimilation and identity in a multicultural context, impacting their visibility in public spaces.
Deep dives
The Influence of Community and Heritage on Dress
The podcast discusses how the British Bangladeshi Muslim community in East London has a rich and diverse relationship with dress, particularly focusing on garments like the kurta and shalwar kameez. The speaker highlights that these garments are not only worn for their traditional value but also serve as expressions of cultural identity and social status. For instance, while the shalwar kameez may signify a connection to heritage, its perception varies across generations, with older individuals embracing more colorful styles associated with cultural pride, while younger generations opt for darker hues to blend in with broader British society. This shift illustrates the complexities of maintaining cultural identity in a diasporic context, where clothing signifies both personal and communal narratives of belonging and distinction.
Language and Identity Amongst Generations
Language is another crucial component of identity discussed in the episode, with a particular focus on the transition from Bengali to Arabic within the British Bangladeshi community. The speaker notes that many younger individuals are more inclined to learn Arabic due to its significance in religious practices, often at the expense of their native language. This trend highlights a generational divide, where older generations possess a more robust connection to their Bengali roots, often having attended classes that instilled traditional cultural practices and language. In contrast, younger members of the community show a preference for using Arabic as a lingua franca among diverse Muslim identities, reflecting a shift in communal linguistic priorities due to sociopolitical influences.
Cultural Signaling and Garment Choices
The episode emphasizes how cultural signaling is intricately tied to the clothing choices of British Bangladeshi men, particularly garments like the thobe and punjabi. It is revealed that while older men feel comfortable wearing their traditional clothing to religious events like Friday prayers, younger men exhibit a preference for adopting more mainstream Western styles, often avoiding ethnic garments due to fear of being judged or misunderstood. This cultural signaling affects visibility in public spaces, as younger generations tend to shy away from wearing traditional garments that might label them as 'other' in a predominantly Western society. The discussion points to how these choices reflect broader issues of assimilation, identity, and the ongoing negotiation of cultural heritage.
Historical Context and Contemporary Dress
The podcast delves into the historical influences shaping the present-day dress and language of British Bangladeshi Muslims, emphasizing the lasting impact of British colonialism. The speaker discusses how colonial narratives around dress have created implicit biases and expectations regarding modesty and propriety, which still resonate today. For example, while the sari is celebrated as a national garment in Bangladesh, it can also be misinterpreted in the UK as solely indicative of Indian culture, causing a disconnect for those who might relate to it differently. This intertwining of historical identity with contemporary expressions of dress challenges the perception of cultural homogeneity and sheds light on the complexities of identity in a multicultural society.
The Role of Space in Language Practices
The role of physical space in shaping language practices among the community is discussed, particularly how geographical contexts, like the East End of London, create unique spaces for language use. The speaker explains that within the diverse environment of Tower Hamlets, Arabic has become a common lingua franca among Muslims of various backgrounds, facilitating communication and community cohesion. Despite this, there remains a significant portion of younger individuals who lack proficiency in their ancestral language, raising questions about cultural preservation. The discussions reveal how community spaces, such as mosques and local institutions, continue to influence the evolution of language practices and identity among British Bangladeshi Muslims, reflecting both continuity and change in the diasporic experience.
Popular discourse around British Muslims has often been dominated by a focus on Muslim women and their sartorial choices, particularly the hijab and niqab. British Bangladeshi Muslims in the East End: The Changing Landscape of Dress and Language (Manchester UP, 2024) by Dr. Fatima Rajina takes a different angle and focuses on Muslim men, examining how factors like the global war on terror influenced and changed their sartorial choices and use of language. The book denaturalises the ubiquitous and deeply problematic security lens through which knowledge of Muslims has been produced in the past two decades.
British Bangladeshi Muslims in the East End offers an alternative reading of these communities and how their political subjectivities emerge. Drawing on historical events, field research and existing academic work, the book aims to address the multiple ways British Bangladeshi Muslim men and women create their relationship with dress and language. This is the first book to empirically examine how dress and language shape the identities of British Bangladeshi Muslims in the East End, using in-depth analysis useful for anyone interested in the study of British Muslims broadly. While the book focuses on a specific Muslim community, the emerging themes demonstrate the interconnectedness of Muslims locally and globally and how they manifest their identities through dress and language.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.
