Abstract

This is a comprehensive history of Asians from the Indian subcontinent in Britain. Spanning four centuries, it tells the history of the Indian community in Britain from the servants, ayahs and sailors of the seventeenth century, to the students, princes, soldiers, professionals and entrepreneurs of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Rozina Visram examines the nature and pattern of Asian migration; official attitudes to Asian settlement; the reactions and perceptions of the British people; the responses of the Asians themselves and their social, cultural and political lives in Britain.

This imaginative and detailed investigation asks what it would have been like for Asians to live in Britain, in the heart of an imperial metropolis, and documents the anti-colonial struggle by Asians and their allies in the UK. It is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the origins of the many different communities that make up contemporary Britain.
'A work of great scholarship, which amply demonstrates the truth of the author's conclusions'
Wasafiri
'A compelling book ... essential reading'
Farrukh Dhondy, Guardian
'An exceptional introduction to Asian legacy and heritage in Britian'
Muslim News
'This excellent book does a great deal to explain how the idea of white supremacy lingers'
Hanif Kureishi, The Observer
'An invaluable resource for academics and journalists who want to study and understand the thriving Asian community in contemporary Britain'
The Times
'A lively- and timely- survey of British Indian history'
Salman Rushdie
'Gripping to read'
Dilip Hiro, TLS