A recent Twitter debate between broadcaster Adil Ray and another user over Ray’s proclamation of his English identity sparked important questions about the complexities of identity and belonging for British Asians today. This discussion arises in the context of Britain’s colonial history and its lingering impacts on concepts of Britishness and Englishness in our multiethnic society.
For context, see screenshots below
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As explored in the podcast Empire, Britain’s colonial rule spanned vast regions of the globe at its peak. The ravages of the British Empire included economic exploitation, violence, oppression, and lasting political impacts for formerly colonised nations. The Empire’s reach also transported millions of colonial subjects to Britain as indentured workers. Our ancestors came at the Empire’s invitation, their labour fueling British prosperity.
As a slight aside, I realised I mention Azad Kashmir a lot, but do not provide much context, so here you go ⬇️
Kashmir is a disputed territory located in the Himalayas and divided between India, Pakistan and China. The region has a predominantly Muslim population.
Jammu and Kashmir consists of three areas:
- Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the western portion governed by Pakistan.
- Jammu and Kashmir, the central and eastern portion governed by India.
- Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract, governed by China.
Many Kashmiris desire independence or self-determination for a united Kashmir free from both Indian and Pakistani control. They view Azad Kashmir and Jammu & Kashmir as under occupation, though Pakistan and India respectively dispute this characterisation.
There have been numerous conflicts, civil uprisings, and independence movements among Kashmiris wishing to establish a sovereign state. But they remain split and governed by the neighbouring powers.
Kashmir has international symbolic importance given the India-Pakistan rivalry and remains a flashpoint for potential future military clashes, despite calls for peace and restraint. The situation in Kashmir remains complex and unresolved, but many diaspora Kashmiris maintain their vision for an independent, united Jammu and Kashmir that controls its own destiny.
My own family’s journey is tied to this colonial history. My grandparents were part of the wave of migrants from India and Pakistan, more specifically from Azad Kashmir, who came to Britain after WWII left the nation devastated. Promised opportunity, they worked tirelessly to rebuild England even while facing racism and exclusion.
My maternal grandfather, or Nana as we called him, would tell us tales of when he first came to England from Azad Kashmir as a teenager. He lived with other young men from his village in a shared house, taking turns working while the others slept. Some were relatives, some just friendly faces far from home. My Nana worked for the East Midlands Railway, often facing racism and violence alongside the challenge of learning English. He, along with others, scrimped and saved to eventually call their families over to join them in what was meant to be a temporary move but became permanent. It took years for my Nana to save up to buy a house that would accommodate his young and growing family. The asbestos exposure from working with coal impacted his lungs over time, but he persevered to build a life here. My grandfather’s sacrifice, loyalty and dedication to England remains a testament to the many migrants who came before me. He passed away 11 years ago from work-related respiratory illness, leaving a hole in our hearts. But his memory lives on as an integral part of my family’s story in England.
While those of us from immigrant backgrounds may face less overt barriers today than previous generations did, our belonging still gets called into question in small and large ways. Comments like the one dismissing Adil Ray’s English identity are unsettling because they imply that Englishness is tied to whiteness and that ethnic minorities will perpetually be regarded as outsiders no matter how deeply embedded we are in British society.
It’s an uneasy feeling to be told you don’t truly belong in the only country you’ve ever known as home. My grandfather’s generation faced more explicit racism and barriers to inclusion. But the legacy of empire and colonialism persists in more subtle othering of British minorities today, questioning if we can ever be truly English.
These tensions speak to an ongoing need for open, thoughtful dialogue on the multiplicity of British identities in the 21st century. Rigid constructions of Englishness fail to embrace the reality of a diverse, changing nation. We must keep challenging outdated notions of who does or doesn’t belong in order to build a more inclusive society where all of us are empowered to take pride in our multifaceted identities, backgrounds and stories. Our right to claim this land as our own should be self-evident by now. But the journey towards full belonging continues
The legacy of empire continues to influence notions of identity and belonging today. For Asian immigrants, while Britain is the only home we have known, we often inhabit an in-between space – affiliated both with our birth nation and our ancestral origins. Despite being raised and acculturated here, we are branded as perpetual foreigners by some. When told to “go back home,” where exactly is home?
As a third generation British Kashmiri, I often grapple with feeling caught between cultures. I’ll read racist rhetoric telling me to “go back home.” But home for me is undeniably Britain – the Midlands city of Derby where I grew up, where my family has carved out our life for decades. The streets I walked as a child, my primary school, my first job, all the threads of my life bind me to England. Yet the colour of my skin and remnants of my ancestral culture also mark me as different. When I visit Pakistan or Azad Kashmir, I feel my Britishness strongly, standing out for being too anglicised. Yet in my hometown of Derby, my ethnicity is still viewed by some as foreign. I’m too Pakistani to be accepted as English, yet too British to be seen as fully Pakistani. Like many British Asians, I inhabit an in-between space where claiming my rightful place requires fighting narrow expectations on both sides. But my sense of self is not defined by others’ boundaries. I know who I am – a proud British Kashmiri, shaped by both my hometown of Derby and my family’s heritage. I don’t need validation to call this land home.
Meanwhile, English and British identity remain bound up with Anglo-Saxonwhiteness in mainstream conceptions. Englishness has always been fluid, shaped by the mixing of cultures over time. But imperial mindsets cast ethnic minorities as the “other,” excluding us from staking claim to identities rooted in the British Isles.
This was highlighted by the Twitter user who asserted that broadcaster Adil Ray, as a British Asian, could never be authentically English, but simply “British.” Why should anyone else have that power over another person to tell them who they are and which boxes they tick? That is a dehumanising act in itself. Yet Ray was born here; England is his homeland as much as anyone’s. So do we require majority validation to assert our identities? Or can we self-determine our sense of belonging?
Rather than being dictated by others’ boundaries, let our diverse peoples claim pride in the multiple facets of our identities – English, British, Asian, European, global citizens, and more. I am no less English for also embracing my South Asian heritage, just as White Brits claim hybrid identities too.
With open minds, we can redefine Englishness so all of us feel at home. Our shared history, interwoven cultures, and common future mean this land belongs to all of us. We must demand the space to assert we too are English, British and most of all, proud of who we are. Let our children know they belong here unconditionally.
There are no easy answers when navigating the tensions and privileges of our colonial legacy. But one truth stands clear – Britain has been shaped by its diversity. We must honour all who helped build this nation and continue to enrich it. No one can deny our right to call England home, or any other land in which we are settled in.
For more on Britain’s colonial history and its modern reverberations, listen to the Empire podcast. What does it mean to you to belong in today’s Britain? Share your perspectives to keep the conversation going around identity, self-identification and what it means to be British and/or English.
Useful links:
The Empire Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/empire/id1639561921?i=1000621697644
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