The Representation of Multiculturalism in Contemporary British Cinema

Abstract

My thesis concentrates on the cinematic representation of the encounter and coexistence between East and West. I hope to analyse the nature of this encounter and coexistence – let it be considered either a salad bowl or as a melting pot – with the help of nine films made between 1985 and 2010. Obviously there are a great deal of many more films which address the issues of conformity and resistance of Islam and Sikh culture in Britain. The funniest one, It’s a Wondeful Afterlife, is not on this list because it represents a utopian view of multiculturalism. In this film the multicultural context is played down and comic elements in the tradition of classic Ealing films become overvalued. I have decided not to include TV films, like Bradford Riots, nor will I discuss films by English-Indian directors set exclusively outside Britain. Bride and Prejudice by Gurinder Chandra would belong to this category.