The concept of racial identity and how it is manipulated or perceived across time is a fascinating lens through which to view both historical and contemporary experiences. In Edward said's Orientalism and Vivek Bald's Bengali Harlem, we see how identities, specifically South Asian or "Oriental" Identities were constructed by Western societies to serve specific purposes, often to justify colonial domination or to classify non-Western cultures as "exotic". Interestingly in Bald's work, these constructed identities were sometimes appropriated by marginalized groups to escape racial oppression in the U.S. For example, African American man who passed as an Indian magician in Charleston to avoid racial Barriers (Bald, p.49). This shows how identity could be fluid for survival, though it raises question of whether such racial "passing" reinforced harmful stereotypes about Indians even as it allowed individuals to escape discrimination.
Fast forwarding to today, the Swet Shop Boys Batalavi highlights the complex relationship between identity, culture, and racism in a modern context. The use of Shiv Kumar Batalvi's poetry reflects feelings of displacement and identity conflict among South Asians in the global South Asian community. The duo expresses how their identities as British-Pakistani and Indian-American are shaped by both pride in their heritage and frustration with the racism they face. Batalvi's poetry adds emotional depth to their critique of being seen as "other" in the West, despite growing up there. Today, south Asians, once perceived as "exotic" and afforded certain privileges, now often face direct racism and islamophobia, particularly since 9/11 and the rise of political tensions around immigration. Relating this to Oreintalism, Edward said stated that the West constructed the "orient" as a place of "romance, exotic beings, hunting memories and landscapes" (Said, P.1), which served to dominate and control these regions. Similarly, in Bengali Harlem, African Americans leveraged the "exotic" image of South Asians to bypass segregation in the Jim Crow South. However, in 2024 this same "otherness" has become a source of racial tension and fear. The shift from using this identity for survival to facing direct racism based on stereotypes highlights how perceptions of identity evolve with political and social contexts.
One thing that's particularly worth discussing is how the use of "exotics" has shifted over time. In Bald's text, African American impersonated Indians to escape harshest forms of racism, but today, the same Indian identity often draws suspicion rather than privilege. This brings up the question: how do these shifting racial dynamics affect South Asians and other minorities today? How does the Swet Shop Boys representation of these identity struggles in "Batalvi" reflect a larger conversation about cultural pride versus the pressures of assimilation?
Both the readings and the music reminded me of the often painful nature of racial identity, especially for those living in the in-between spaces of culture and nationality.