Pakistani villagers in a British city. The world of the Mirpuri villager in Bradford and in his village of origin

The subject of this thesis is Mirpuri migrants in Britain. It is based on research carried out in Mirpuri households in Bradford and in a village in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir. Many studies of ethnic minorities in Britain, or in other Western countries have focussed on the question of their assimiliation or integration into the indigenous population and many have made little or no reference to the migrant's own interpretation of their situation. The under-lying assumption of gradual integration is thus ethnocentric and contrary to much evidence from, for example, the United States of America (Gans: 1965; Rose: 1964; Wirth: 1956; Whyte: 1969). This work was initially undertaken to establish, in one particular ethnic minority, the migrant's attitudes and appreciation of his migration and his situation in Britain. It was immediately apparent that no adequate evaluation or appreciation of his situation in Britain was possible without first-hand knowledge of the area and life from which he had come. The field research subsequently undertaken in the small localities of both societies lead to considerations beyond the scope of the traditional social anthropologist. These considerations are included in the work to illustrate the necessity of a broader approach when dealing with a movement and interaction between two different social worlds. Appendix on Fieldwork ... is an integral part of the thesis and attempts to evaluate the limitations inherent in the method adopted as well as its advantages. One such limitation in this thesis is the absence of the more political and economic aspects of the villager's life in Mirpur and Britain and this relates to the restrictions placed on the researcher in a sexually-segregated society.

URI

https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/handle/10454/20843

Type

Thesis

Qualification name

PhD