The political incorporation of South Asian elites in Britain

Abstract

The article centres on the debate about the political importance of ethnic minorities and focuses on, first, the political participation of British South Asians at large and, second, the political activities of Asian elites specifically. Following a review of the evidence relating to mass electoral-based participation, the article then highlights the role played by Asian political elites in both setting and responding to the terms of the evaluative debate. A third section deals with the question of how Asian elites--political and other--respond to the key ideological positions of Britain's main political parties. This reopens the question of Asian political distinctiveness and how elites may contribute to debates about so-called Asian values in politics. The artcile concludes with a brief discussion of elite-based versus mass electoral-based strategies for achieving enhanced political leverage in the British system. L'article se concentre sur le ddbat entourant l'importance politique des minorit~s ethniques et s'attarde d'abord ?~ la participation politique des Sud-Asiatiques britanniques en gdndral, puis aux activitds politiques des dlites asiatiques plus particuli&ement. Apr~s un examen des donndes relatives h la participation dectorale de la masse, l' article fait ressortir le r61e joud par les dlites politiques asiatiques dans la mise en place des conditions du ddbat d'doaluation et dans la rdaction ?lce ddbat. Une troisi~ne section porte sur la far dont rdagissent les dlites asiatiques-politiques et autres-aux principales positions iddologiques des grands partis politiques de Grande-Bretagne. Ainsi se trouve relancde la question du caract&e politique distinct de l'Asie et comment les dlites peuvent contribuer au ddbat sur les soi-disant valeurs asiatiques en politique. L' article se termine par une br~ve discussion des strategies dectorales de l'~lite par rapport ?~ celles de la masse pour exercer une plus grande influence politique dans le syst&ne britannique. Opening RemarksA great deal of attention has accrued to the claim that across Europe the United Kingdom has demonstrated strong and resilient evidence of ethnic minority 1 political progress and integration. By this claim is meant that Key words tMots-clefs: Political participation/participation politique; British Asians/Asiatiques britanniques; elite politics/politique de l'61ite; British politics/politique britannique; party competition/rivalit6 des partis 9 2001 by PCERII. All rights reserved./Tous droits r6serv6s.

Race Equality and Planning: A Changing Agenda

“…those not on any 'lunatic fringe') will tend to promote a rather conservative set of social values (and hence be a force for cohesion and order). Thus when it was in power in the 1980s and 1990s the Conservative Party worked quite hard-if not especially effectively-to tap into what it felt was a natural constituency among voters of Asian descent who, it was believed, would retain strong faith-influenced values (Saggar, 2001). When it appears there are strands in a faith group that may also be threatening to public order (as in the case of some Muslims in the United Kingdom), then working with the less disaffected religious adherents can be a strategy for both isolating and identifying the more confrontational elements.…”