Resistance Is Futile: Indian Cinema and Identity Construction Among
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Resistance is Futile: Indian Cinema and Identity Construction Among Young South Asian Canadians of Muslim and Other Backgrounds by Faiza Hirji Kassam, M.A. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Journalism and Communication Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario August 3,2007 © 2007, Faiza Hirji Kassam Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 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Abstract This dissertation examines nationalism, tradition and religiosity in Bollywood cinema, and the way that these themes are interpreted and used by young Canadians of South Asian origin, particularly Muslims, in the construction of identity. Bollywood, the most commercially successful form of Indian cinema, is distributed and viewed around the world. The popularity of Bollywood has been attributed to any number of factors, including its frequent use of fantastic, romantic and familial themes, but British and American studies suggest an additional appeal: the ability to acquire or strengthen understandings of cultural norms and rituals. Such findings raise the question of whether similar tendencies can be found among young adults of South Asian origin raised in Canada, especially Muslims. This line of investigation is especially interesting given the peripheral or stereotyped role of Muslims in many Bollywood films despite the presence of well-known Muslim actors, writers and producers in the industry. Accordingly, this study combines a discussion of Bollywood’s production and key themes with an examination of how these themes are read by young Canadians of South Asian origin. The latter is accomplished through a series of interviews with Canadians of South Asian origin between the ages of 19 and 29 in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa. Participants provided insights regarding their perceptions of national, ethnic and religious identity, chief influences that may have contributed to the formation of these, and their thoughts on the importance of Bollywood cinema within the context of nationalist sentiment and ethnic or religious identification. The results, analyzed using theories of diaspora, transnationalism, resistance and identity, are varied but key findings include the following: hybrid identities are being formed by these young people, and a strong sense Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. of Canadian national identity emerges within this, anchored by a belief that ethnicity and religion can be embraced freely within a pluralist Canadian environment. Media play a significant role in this process of identity construction, and in particular, Bollywood elicits a mixed reaction from participants. Despite its evident shortcomings in portraying religion, diaspora and gender, Bollywood appears to meet a need for representation of South Asian life that is otherwise unfulfilled. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgements Many people, not all of whom I have the room to acknowledge here, contributed to the completion of this dissertation. In particular, this work could not have been possible without the interviewees in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver who were kind enough to make time for me and to share their ideas. Their contributions were invaluable and of great personal interest to me. I hope that I have done justice here to their insights. In writing this dissertation, I was fortunate to be guided by committee members who demonstrated a high level of engagement and expertise, led by my supervisor, Karim H. Karim, with whom it has been a true pleasure to work for the last several years. Daiva Stasiulis and Joshua Greenberg were dedicated, accessible and helpful during this process. I also wish to thank Yasmin Jiwani and Brian Given for their time and feedback. A number of other people provided advice throughout the conceptualization and writing of this work, including—but not limited to—Rajinder Dudrah and other participants at the 2006 South Asian Popular Culture conference, Maria Bernard, Eileen Saunders, Sandy Smeltzer, and Jigna Desai. Financially, I benefited greatly from the generous support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Carleton University, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement. I thank all of these organizations for making it possible to complete this work in a timely manner. This research has, in fact, consumed my time and attention for the past four years. I appreciate the patience and encouragement all of my family and friends offered during this period, particularly my husband Rahim, whose translations and companionship helped make the watching of these films a pleasure, and my parents, whose own experiences of migration shaped both this work and my life. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s I ntroduction.....................................................................................................................................................................I H o wC a n a d i a n A r e Y o u? M a p p i n g N a t i o n a l i s m , M e d i a a n d S e l f ..................................1 Invo luntary M in orities? Y oun g M uslim Canadians of South A sian O r ig in ......................................3 Seeing the Se l f : The R ole of M edia in Id en tity Construction...................................................................6 Sym biosis in An o th er Fo r m: N a tionalism and M e d ia ......................................................................................9 Y oung M uslim s of South A sian Origin in th eir O w n W o r d s.................................................................... 13 Resista n ce : H ow M u ch a nd W hat Kin d ? ............................................................................................................ 23 Transcending th e B ell Ja r s : Iden tity , Belon ging and U nderstanding .............................................26 N ote on Transliteration ........................................................................................................................................... 29 C h a p t e r 1 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3 1 T h e o r i e s o f t h e W a n d e r i n g S o u l: I nterpretations o f D i a s p o r a .............................. 3 1 All A round th e W o r ld: D isplacement and D is p e r s a l ................................................................................31 The Sw eet H ereafter ? Living o r L eav ing the D ia sporic Ex p e r ie n c e...................................................43 D ifferent D ia spo ra s : In d ia , Pakista n and th e C olo nial Le g a c y ........................................................... 49 C h a p t e r 2 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 5 8 K a r m a C h a m e l e o n : C i t i z e n s h i p , I d e n t i t y a n d t h e N e w H y b r i d s ................................5 8 The Ties th a t B in d : C itizenship a nd Belo n g in