Performing Hybridity or Deflecting Islamophobia? Adaptable Identity Management amongst Young British Pakistani Muslims

Fatima Khan and Gabe Mythen
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Fatima Khan: Department of Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, UK
Gabe Mythen: Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK

Social Sciences, 2021, vol. 10, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: This article engages with issues of identity construction and maintenance as expressed by a group of young British Pakistanis living in the North-West of England. Drawing on primary data from a qualitative study, we examine the ways in which Muslim identities are maintained, negotiated, and protected in relation to everyday situated cultural experiences. Nested within a context in which Islamophobia is pervasive, we discuss four salient processes of identity management articulated by participants: cherry picking; strategic adaption; ambassadorship and active resistance. Whilst these processes are to be considered as porous rather than mutually exclusive, our analysis elucidates evidence of both nimble and creative individual identity management and also an entrenchment of collective pride. We posit that, for the participants in this study, such practices constitute a grounded, pragmatic response to living in an environment in which their religious beliefs, political values and cultural commitments are frequently questioned within public life, the media and the political sphere.

Keywords: agency; hybridity; identity; Islamophobia; resistance; young Muslims (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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