Debris left in the UK
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Growing up in an upper, middle class Bangladeshi family, ayahs were a very familiar concept to me. My best friend growing up brought her ayah from Bangladesh with her to Massachusetts when she moved. Reading about the history of ayahs in Britain, I wonder if the concept of the ayah that I know now originated from the institution put in place by British colonialism. The fact that Asians were sourced for household labor rather than Africans shows the beginnings of the idea of the model minority. Visram writes, that “with “full blooded” Asians available there was no longer any need to dress African servants in Oriental costumes.” There was merit giving to Asian laborers because they looked “clean” and could often read and write. They were discarding African laborers for the next best thing.
Ayahs were crucial to British society and were therefore given a higher status. I found it very interesting how ayahs fit into a supply and demand framework. Many desired to return to their homeland and were able to because there was a demand for ayahs who could travel with British families to and from India. Due to their demand and therefore economic status, ayahs were able to get some of their wishes, which is not a privilege granted to African servants. However, I did find it very interesting how often these Asian servants were referred to as Black. For example, the Black woman from Bengal mentioned in one of the advertisements. I would like to look more into how Asians were distinguished from African servants are more desirable, but were still described as the same race in advertisements.
The institution of ayahs is only one part of the “debris” left from British colonialism. Upon my first listen of Debris by the Asian Dub Foundation, it sounded characteristic to other UK dnb music I have heard. In the lyrics we hear “we’re only here cos you were there.” The song references the mess left behind from British colonialism, such as the the pillage and plunder. But I think part of the debris that the Asian Dub Foundation wants to highlight is the “global village.” The conglomeration of ethnic groups in the UK is a direct result of British colonialism. The import of Asian workers, African slaves, and the people from all the other colonized areas resulted in groups who were stuck in the UK, and removed from their homeland. These displaced groups are crumbs broken off from their original cookie, or debris left over from the disaster.