Approaching South Asians in Hong Kong

• Main Author: SUNG, Hung Mui
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: Digital Commons @ Lingnan University 2005
• Subjects: Race and Ethnicity
• Online Access: https://commons.ln.edu.hk/cs_etd/12; https://commons.ln.edu.hk/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=cs_etd

"South Asians" is usually an inclusive term to refer to ethnic minorities originating from countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Despite the apparent concern with “South Asians” in Hong Kong society in recent years, such as pushing for legislation against racial discrimination and initiating social and educational programmes to help these minorities to better integrate into Hong Kong society, attention to irreducible cultural differences constituting their heterogeneity is still largely lacking. The thesis intends to take up the question of the South Asian minorities in the context of post-1997 Hong Kong. By looking at their everyday struggles in political, linguistic and cultural realms, the thesis tries to understand three key questions - first, how “South Asians” as a minority assert their political and democratic rights and practice their citizenship in the socio-political realm; second, how the cultural identities of ethnic minority children in their formative years are shaped by the tensions between the formal institutional schooling and language policies on the one hand, and traditions, religions, customs and bonding of neighborhood living in their communities on the other hand; third, how “South Asians” are portrayed as the other in the mainstream representation such as cinema and newspapers, despite the rising awareness against discrimination. The thesis seeks to challenge the ways mainstream Hong Kong Chinese represent these minorities and critique the deep cultural bias of racism and discrimination that prevent the fundamental opening up to the heterogeneity of the Other.