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Abstract
As part of the Popular Music Heritage, Cultural Memory and Cultural Identity project, this paper explores the relationship between popular music and cultural identity through a focus on British Bhangra. The selection of British Bhangra music as the specific site of focus for this paper allows for an in-depth study into the way in which popular music plays a role in the negotiation of cultural identity in a local and national context. Beginning with a discussion based around the idea of ‘minority heritage’, as opposed to ‘official heritage’, this paper argues for the significance of popular music to the narratives of cultural identity and the representations of cultural memories within the British Asian community.
Notes
1. A large two-headed drum, usually worn using a strap and played at important Punjabi events including weddings, birthdays and festivals.
2. A plucked, one-stringed instrument comprised of a gourd with a round neck attached. It is only capable of producing a limited range of notes, but can be heard on many Bhangra music recordings.
3. An edited volume based on the project’s findings is Citationforthcoming in 2013.
4. Office for National Statistics, data available from: http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk [Accessed 11 January 2012].
5. The 2009 ‘Missing Out’ conference highlighted issues with English Heritage’s limited definition of heritage, resulting in a call for a greater emphasis on intangible heritage.