SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with working-class Asians in Britain and it seeks to examine and explain the econcmic, social and political changes that have taken place amongst them since they began to migrate to Britain in large numbers after 1959. It attenpts to do this through a Marxist analysis for other theories which have attempted to explain Asians' actions are found to be unacceptable. Rex & Tamlinson' s recent study of Handsworth, Colonial Immigrants in a British City, is examined in detail for they believe that it is based on a class analysis. It is demonstrated that this "class theory" is crude and theoretically flawed and that it has no basis in the empirical situation in Britain. Idealist theories which underlie many of the approaches to studies of Asians in Britain are critically examined and rejected because of their failure to deal with external factors and class divisions. Further, analyses based on these theories are shown to remain only at an empirical level. A Marxist approach is set out which overcomes the problems noted with other theories and establishes a framework within which it is possible to examine working-class Asians in Britain. The general position and conditions of Asians in Britain are reviewed and examples are drawn from different communities. Changes which have occurred amongst working-class Asians are described and the dialectical relationship between Asians' culture and conditions in the wider environment is examined. Special attention is paid to changes in Asians' work situation and the development of the 'second generation'. Changes in the form of political action Asians have been involved in are examined in detail as this is an area of considerable importance and also to demonstrate the necessity of understanding and explaining the wider environment and its effects upon Asians. Theoretical approaches to the study of minority groups which did not take the external environment into account in a systematic way located the reasons for changes amongst Asians solely within their communities. This thesis demonstrates that the reason for changes amongst Asians lies in the dialectical relationship between the environment and Asians' culture.