From Slaves to PMs
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The history of British Asians is rooted in Britain’s at the time colonial and trade goals, which brought Indian ayahs and slaves to the UK. Rosina Visram’s chapter on these early arrivals demonstrates how servants and ayahs were only seen as the "chattels of the empire," meaning they were treated as cheap and disposable labour brought only for the convenience of the British. While the British class enjoyed the look of having Indian servants, seeing them as status symbols, they lived life in an alien state with zero resources or help of any kind.
The lascars who were mainly recruited from India, Yemen, and Somalia, were important to Britain’s merchant navy during the transition from sail to steam in the mid-19th century. As Gilliat-Ray and Mellor say, the demand for labour in places like Cardiff, South Wales, and South Shields, led to the growing population of such workers. The establishment of boarding houses and communities for seamen, especially Yemeni and Somali Muslims, laid the foundation for long-term South Asian and Muslim communities in the UK. But, the treatment of these lascars was very different than what it is today—they were seen as cheap labour, and their living conditions in Britain’s dockside areas were inhuman. Despite their significant role in Britain’s economy, lascars faced racial prejudice, low wages, and exploitation. They were treated as a good, a service, not human.
The closeness ayahs had to white British children played a certain role in their representation. On the one side, they were trusted and responsible for caring for young children at home, during long trips, and more; on the other, they were seen as less than, both racially and socially, highlighting the Orientalist views of the time. They were often left to fend for themselves when no longer useful, leading to many becoming homeless and turning to begging in Britain. Ayah and lascar lodging houses became very essential institutions for these involuntary migrants, providing shelter but also underlining the marginalization and racial segregation these groups faced.
Everything that we have read on this topic is a reflection of South Asian treatment in Britain today. Because of the early migration of Indians, today, they have enough representation to be a prominent member of society in Britain by having an Indian Prime minister, infiltration in culture, communities, food and much more. Despite that, they also face prejudice, discrimination and alienation in Britain as well. This reminds me of previous readings like the ones we read back when looking at the topic of Melancholic Migrants and Sara Ahmed's Promise of Happiness which discussed these established well-versed families who still can't completely integrate into society because of past racial prejudices and it makes you conceptualize how far back racial trauma goes for South Asians in Britain.