Kanwal Mand

‘I’ve got two houses. One in Bangladesh and one in London ... everybody has’: Home, locality and belonging(s)

This article explores the experiences of ‘home’ for British-born Bangladeshi children who are active members of transnational families. The article illustrates that these children, who are mobile between Sylhet and London, play an active role in maintaining transnational linkages. The article critiques the omission of children’s perspectives in understanding ideas and practices of ‘home’ within the diaspora and among transnational families. A key finding is that while children identify Sylhet and London as ‘home’, the experience of these places differs in accordance with the different social relations, practices and material circumstances through which they experience these places.

Place, gender and power in transnational Sikh marriages

In this article I explore the importance of place during transnational marriages and in particular during wedding rituals. The rituals described are two Sikh weddings taking place in East Africa and the Punjab respectively. Highlighting the importance of status and hierarchy during wedding events, the ethnography focuses on how transnationalism is experienced as a generator of status as well as a potential risk to status. Through an account in the article of ritual practices in transnational marriages and households, I underline place as a significant factor in gender relations during wedding events.

Giving children a ‘voice’: arts-based participatory research activities and representation

This paper looks at the use of participatory arts-based methods with pre-teen children, of Bangladeshi heritage, within a school context. The paper addresses the relationship between how childhood is conceptualised and the methodological issues arising. In particular, the paper focuses on the use of participatory and creative child-centred practices that seek to include children’s ‘voices’. Through an account of producing artwork for an exhibition, based on the research, the paper addresses issues concerning power in the representation of children’s ‘voices’.

Marriage and Migration through the Life Course Experiences of Widowhood, Separation and Divorce amongst Transnational Sikh Women

In this article I approach the relationship between marriage and migration from the perspective of transnational Sikh women who are, or seek to, separate from their husbands, or who have been widowed. Given the dominant ideals surrounding Sikh marriage, how do migrant women negotiate their non-married status, and how does this relate to their stage in the life course, their geographic location and their kin networks? The article draws attention to the significance of location as mediating womens experiences in terms of social norms, policies and networks. Although marriage remains central in the lives of South Asian women, I seek to show that expectations and experiences are not immutable, but are influenced by the womens stage in the life course, their access to material resources, and their kin networks within and between places.

Researching Transnational Childhoods

This paper reflects on experiences of conducting research with transnational children. It brings together criticisms from within anthropology of the conceptualisation of stable and bounded fields, and discussion of conceptual and methodological approaches to researching children and childhoods. Taking research with British Bangladeshi transnational children as a case in point, the paper addresses the challenge of conducting research with transnational and fast-changing communities, arguing that it requires the use of multi-sited methods, an awareness of power relations at research sites, the building of a good rapport with the children and a range of methodological approaches set within long-term ethnographic engagement with research participants.

Gender, ethnicity and social relations in the narratives of elderly Sikh men and women

Abstract This article explores narratives by elderly Sikh men and women about their arrival in Tanzania and highlights the significance of gender, ethnicity and social networks. The article argues that narratives provide rich accounts of the ways in which social capital, understood as resources held in networks, is influenced by social identities and place. It demonstrates that such nuances remain hidden in standard methods, such as surveys, generally used in the study of social capital. Furthermore, with a focus on the elderly migrants, the article illustrates that narratives have a particular affinity with migration, for like migrants they move across time and place.

Ambivalent Positions: Ethnicity and Working in our ‘Own Communities’

The role of ethnic identity in the composition and experiences of young (female) contract researchers has rarely been explored in the context of British academia (Burke et al. 2000; Fenton et al. 2000; Mirza, forthcoming). Figures suggest that minority ethnic groups are deterred from entering into an academic career. In 2004 only 6.3% of academics were Asian and 1.4% were Black (HEFCE 2004). Lower figures of minority ethnic academics have also been recorded in more senior positions (HEFCE 2004). Furthermore, women from all minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to be in temporary positions (Fenton et al. 2000). As a result, identity politics as an unspoken force in an increasingly market driven higher education (HE) system remains unexplored yet fundamental. In this paper we borrow the concept of niche market from economics and marketing, given the increasing emphasis on competition, individualisation and specialism in HE. Niche markets refer to small specialised markets based on unique selling points and target audiences.