Contesting Culture

This work is an ethnographic account of an aspect of contemporary British life, and a challenge to the conventional discourse of community studies.

Klappentext

This innovative study presents an account of the interaction of people from different ethnic backgrounds who live in Southall, the most densely populated multi-ethnic ghetto of London. Breaking with the tradition of studying a single ethnic community, Gerd Baumann treats Southall as a single social field in which various immigrant groups come to terms both with one another and with the dominant culture of England.

Zusammenfassung
In this 1996 book, Gerhard Baumann examines the area of Southall, the most densely populated, multi-ethnic ghetto in the London area. This vivid ethnographic account analyses various immigrant groups as they come to terms with one another, and engage in rethinking their identities as well as the meaning of their cultural heritage.

Inhalt

1. Introduction: the proceeds of research; 2. The argument; 3. A shared Southall culture?; 4. The dominant discourse applied: 'self-evident' communities of culture; 5. The dominant discourse denied: community as creation, culture as process; 6. 'Culture' and 'community' as terms of cultural contestation; 7. Conclusion.