'Ah Cha'! The Racial Discrimination of Pakistani Minority Communities in Hong Kong: An Analysis of Multiple, Intersecting Oppressions

Racial discrimination towards minority ethnic (ME) groups in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is argued to be endemic. This paper considers research studies focusing on this issue as extended to the Pakistani community, which appear to constitute in part a general xenophobia towards certain ME groups. In addition, the authors contribute findings from an ethnographic study of low-income Pakistani families in Hong Kong, offering narrated accounts from participants regarding the impact of racial discrimination on their lives, metaphorically signified in the idiomatic term Ah Cha to denote people of North Indian heritage. These data are supplemented by additional interview data from Hong Kong social workers. An analysis of the impact of racism upon Pakistani individuals and families is offered in relation to micro, meso and macro-level forms of discrimination. These in turn relate to interpersonal relationships, perceived community attitudes, social work responses, and relevant social policy and legislation. The discussion of the implications of racial discrimination in HKSAR, with a specific focus on its Pakistani community, is underpinned by theorisation of multiple oppressions.