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Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

Dreaming in Canadian

South Asian Youth, Bollywood, and Belonging

As various nations wrestle with issues of immigration, integration, and pluralism, second-generation immigrants are exploring new ways to make sense of who they are and where they belong in the face of competing cultural demands. Dreaming in Canadian turns the spotlight on the role of Bollywood cinema in the production of cultural, religious, and national identities among South Asian youth in Toronto, Vancouver, and Ottawa. By documenting the voices of these young adults and how they draw on media in the formation of uniquely hybrid identities, this book interrogates the realities that underpin media portrayals of diaspora, nationalism, and multiculturalism.

264 pages | © 2010


Table of Contents

Introduction: How Canadian Are You? Mapping Nationalism, Media, and Self

1 East Meets West – and Everything Else: Living La Vida Loca in Bollywood

2 Theories of the Wandering Soul: Interpretations of Diaspora

3 Karma Chameleon: Citizenship, Identity, and the New Hybrids

4 But Where Are You Really From? South Asians and Muslims in Canada

5 Little Mosques and Bollywood Epics: Media and Identity Construction

6 “My Heart’s Indian for All That”: Themes of Nationalism and Migration in Bollywood

7 Up Close and Personal: Methodology for Obtaining Audience Opinion

8 “But, I dream in Canadian”: Constructing and Maintaining Plural Identities

9 Bollywood: Films as Meeting Ground

10 Beyond Futility: The Future of Young Canadians of South Asian Origin

Conclusion: You Really Are Global Citizens: Resistance and Reconciliation

Appendix A: Films Cited by Participants

References

Index

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