Racism, prejudice and cultural stereotypes in British Asian fiction

• Main Author: Tan, Ivan Lye Hwee
• Other Authors: Sim Wai Chew
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/66896
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In much of British Asian fiction, racism, prejudice and cultural stereotypes are recurring issues that feature prominently. A question worth asking then, is, why is this the case, and what implications does this have? In this essay, I will examine several texts, namely Meera Syal’s Anita and Me, Monica Ali’s Brick Lane and Timothy Mo’s Sour Sweet. In doing so, I will attempt to show that the texts concede, consciously or otherwise, that racism, prejudice and cultural stereotyping are inseparable from the immigrant experience. Having said so, I will also argue that these texts are not overly pessimistic even though they recognize and deal with these complex issues. Instead, they contain silver linings of a hope for the future that a critical reader can glean upon deeper analysis.