The term British Asian is used to denote a person of South Asian ancestry or origin, who was born in or is an immigrant to the United Kingdom. Map of South Asia South Asia is a subregion of Asia, usually comprising the modern states of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. ...

Usage

In British English the word "Asian" usually refers to those of South Asian ancestry; those of East Asian origin such as Chinese or Japanese are usually not included in the term; this is reflected in the "ethnic group" section of UK census forms and other government paperwork, which treat "Asian" and "Chinese" as separate. Diagram showing the geographical locations of selected languages and dialects of the British Isles. ... The term Asian can refer to something or someone from Asia. ... East Asia can be defined in either cultural or geographic terms. ... A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ...

Although increasingly common, the term is, like "Black Briton", somewhat contested. Some consider the term "Asian" somewhat vague given the wide variety of religious, ethnic, and racial groups in both South Asia and Britain, although others see a certain degree of unity in the South Asian diaspora. This is a list of Black Britons. ... The term diaspora (Greek διασπορά, a scattering or sowing of seeds) is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands, being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the ensuing developments in their dispersal and culture. ...

History of Asians in the UK

Although some Asians had settled in the United Kingdom, either temporarily or permanently, before the Second World War (including, most notably, the young Mohandas Gandhi), most Asian immigration to the UK took place in the 1950s and 1960s from British Commonwealth countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, at the same time as immigrants from former Caribbean colonies were also moving to Britain. The Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 and Immigration Act 1971 prevented virtually any further primary immigration, although family members of already-settled migrants were still allowed. In addition, much of the subsequent growth in the British Asian community has come from the births of second- and third-generation Asian Britons. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) (Devanagari: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी), called Mahatma Gandhi, was the charismatic leader who brought the cause of Indias independence from British colonial rule to world attention. ... Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ... Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states, most of which were once governed by the United Kingdom and are its former colonies. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Primary immigration is a term which describes the movement of the breadwinner of a family, or a young unattached single man, from one country to another, usually to improve their economic condition. ...

Asian communities

Although there are Asian communities all over the UK, towns and cities with particularly significant Asian populations include:

• Birmingham
• Bradford
• Glasgow
• Leicester
• London (especially Tower Hamlets, Newham, Brent and Southall)

The city from above Centenary Square. ... This article discusses the city Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. ... Glasgows location in Scotland Glasgow is Scotlands largest city, located on the River Clyde in West Central Scotland. ... Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city in the English East Midlands, on the River Soar. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is the London borough to the east of the City of London, north of the River Thames in East London. ... The London Borough of Newham is a London borough in East London. ... Brent could mean the London Borough of Brent the river Brent which runs through it the Brent Goose Branta bernicla the Brent Oilfield in the North Sea (named after the goose) or its products Brent Crude or Brent Blend the Brent meteor crater in Canada which was named after the... Southall is a London suburb in the London Borough of Ealing. ...

British Asians in popular culture

Especially since the late 1990s, British Asian performers and writers have achieved significant mainstream cultural success. The TV show The Kumars at No. 42 and the film Bend It Like Beckham have both managed to attract large, multi-ethnic audiences. The comedians Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal and Shazia Mirza are all well-recognised figures in British popular culture, while the actress Parminder Nagra has a prominent role in the US show ER. The broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy, meanwhile, presents the respected Channel 4 News. See List of British Asian people. Events and trends Technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of the entertainment industry. ... Bend It Like Beckham is a British film released in 2002, directed by Gurinder Chadha from an original screenplay written by Chadha, Paul Berges, and Guljit Bindra. ... Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 28 June 1964 in Essex, England) is an British Indian comedian and actor, best known for his work in the BBC2 comedy series, Goodness Gracious Me and as host of The Kumars at No. ... Meera Syal MBE (born June 27, 1963) is a British comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. ... Shazia Mirza (born 1975) is a comedian from Birmingham in England, whose act revolves around her Muslim faith. ... Popular culture, or pop culture, is the vernacular (peoples) culture that prevails in a modern society. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Parminder K. Nagra (born October 5, 1975 in Leicester, England) is a British actress of Indian descent. ... ER is a popular NBC serial drama primarily set in a teaching hospitals emergency room, the fictional County General Hospital (based loosely off Cook County General, a real hospital) on Division Street in Chicago, Illinois. ... Krishnan Guru-Murthy (born April 5, 1970) is a British newsreader currently fronting Channel 4 News from ITN, which he joined in 1998. ... Channel 4 News is a television news programme made by ITN for the British TV broadcaster Channel 4. ... This is a list of British Asian people, namely people in the United Kingdom whose ethnic origin lies in South Asia. ...