In the second half of the class we explored the themes and ideas from Post Colonial Britain and the writings that came from this time.
The theme that interested me the most was that of race in Postcolonial/ multicultural Britain. In the readings from this section, different traditions and cultures are very apparent. One of the readings, The Waiter's Wife by Zadie Smith, captures this theme well. In the story, a married couple has just immigrated into London. The couple is originally from Bangladesh but has moved to London and now resides near an old friend from the War. The husband, Samaad, experiences oppression as a waiter. He is over qualified but not well prepared for the job. See quote below: “You’re the worst of them! You’re the worst fucking waiter I’ve ever seen! You couldn’t get a tip if you mugged the bastards! I hear you trying to talk to the customer about biology this, politics that – just serve the food, you idiot – you’re a waiter, for fuck’s sake, you’re not Michael Parkinson.” (Smith). As expressed in a previous blog, this conflict shows how even still immigrants struggle to be treated fairly. Race and multicultural societies have caused oppression for many years and continue to do so today. |
The idea of race and multicultural Britain in the Postcolonial era left me wanting to do more research more specifically on immigration in and around Britain. Below is a link to a youtube video describing European migration after WWII: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN8fjAjLLpg An article from Globalization 101 with the Levin Institute states, "As the countries of Europe recovered from World War II, they again became attractive destinations for potential migrants and opened their doors to immigrants to help rebuild their economies. Furthermore, during the post-war period, technological improvements in land and air travel decreased the cost of migration. Emigration from developing countries to Western countries expanded rapidly as incomes in the developing world rose enough to make emigration feasible, but not enough to make it moot." (Levin Institute). To read more into the article: www.globalization101.org/post-world-war-ii-migration/ After WWII, immigration into European countries like England and France became very popular because it was more affordable to travel there and jobs were easier to find. |
As previously mentioned, racial oppression and poor treatment of immigrants is still happening today. Below I have attached petitions, organizations, and other resources to provide more insight on how you can be apart of this much needed change.
Immigration:
help-separated-children
immigrationorganizations
important-organizations-that-help-immigrants-in-the-us
Racial Equality:
Racial Healing
black-lives-matter-resources-and-funds
how-to-support-racial-justice-black-americans
Immigration:
help-separated-children
immigrationorganizations
important-organizations-that-help-immigrants-in-the-us
Racial Equality:
Racial Healing
black-lives-matter-resources-and-funds
how-to-support-racial-justice-black-americans