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Identities in the third space? Solidity, elasticity and resilience amongst young B ritish P akistani M uslims
Author(s) -
Mythen Gabe
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the british journal of sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.826
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1468-4446
pISSN - 0007-1315
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-4446.2012.01416.x
Subject(s) - scrutiny , solidity , politics , negotiation , context (archaeology) , sociology , multiculturalism , salient , psychological resilience , terrorism , political science , gender studies , social psychology , geography , law , psychology , computer science , archaeology , programming language
Over the last decade the issue of identity has been prevalent in discussions about B ritish M uslims, with the events of 9/11 serving as a touchstone for media debates about religious, national and cultural affiliations. The 7/7 terrorist attacks in the UK led to young B ritish P akistanis being subjected to intense public and institutional scrutiny and wider political concerns being expressed about the failure of multiculturalism. Young B ritish P akistanis have thus had to negotiate and maintain their identities in an environment in which they have been defined as a threat to national security whilst simultaneously being pressurized to align with ‘core B ritish values’. Within this context, we convey the findings of a qualitative study involving B ritish P akistanis living in the N orth‐west of E ngland. In presenting the experiences and perspectives of participants, three interconnected processes salient to the maintenance of identity are delineated: solidity, elasticity and resilience. Having unpacked these processes, we draw upon B habha's third space thesis to explore the political potentiality of and the limits to hybridic identities.