Behzti and beyond: Lessons learnt from the work of Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti

Abstract

Developments in the sociopolitical scene have heavily influenced the artistic productions of a new generation, of black and Asian playwrights in Britain. Responses to problematic questions about culture, politics and religion encountered by decentred subjectivities are articulated in their artistic expressions. The aim of this article is to shed light on the challenges placed by a new generation of British Asian women playwrights to their community as a result of changing attitudes to values across generations and to assess the wider implications of the issues brought to the fore in the light of such expression. With her play Behzti (Dishonour) in 2004, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti provided a critique of and from within her community, protesting against the unspoken injustices that remain deeply concealed under the drape of the Sikh community in contemporary Britain. This article explores not only the challenges posited by Bhatti, but also the riotous reception that the play received in its first performance and the debates that ensued, and have continued to simmer in the backburners of the sociopolitical landscape of Britain through the last decade.

Keywords:

• Behzti
• Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti
• freedom of expression
• censorship
• Birmingham
• Rep

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The location of the Gurdwara is not specified in Bhatti’s play. This is significant in relation to the universal claims that Bhatti makes in the play.

2. The Southall Black Sisters is a minority feminist campaign group which included non-Sikh supporters of Behzti.

3. Sikh leaders have been vocal since the mid-20th century in their fight to protect the principles of Sikhism within western culture – for example, by seeking legal recognition of the turban and protesting against the right-wing British National Party.

4. The bill proposed amendments to the Public Order Act. Following a high-profile campaign by writers and comedians, who felt these amendments would prevent any criticism of religion, the most controversial aspect of the bill – the offence of using “abusive and insulting” language – was dropped before the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 came into force on 1 October 2007.

5. It is worth noting that both Britain in general, and Birmingham in particular, have a large Sikh community, with 30 per cent of Sikhs in Britain residing in the West Midlands. In contrast, the number of Sikhs in Belgium and France is clearly not as substantial. Undoubtedly, the lower profile of Sikh culture in these nations may have helped to bring the universal questions of the play into focus. If, on the other hand, a play like Behzti were to be set in a Muslim context, it would be very problematic in these nations, especially in France.