The Effect of Colonialism on the Bangladeshi Female Immigrant in Britain

Abstract

This chapter explores the role of the Bangladeshi immigrant woman in Britain and the effects of patriarchy in the Bangladeshi community on the immigrant female as noted by the life of the protagonist Nazneen and other female characters in the novel titled, Brick Lane by Monica Ali. Further the essay also compares and contrasts South Asian immigrant women to show how one group (a woman from India) is affected differently from her South Asian sister from Bangladesh. To understand the difference between the two groups of immigrant women, Monica Ali's novel was contrasted with Tarquin Hall's heroine from his novel Salam Brick Lane. By examining the role of South Asian immigrant women in Britain, other issues about immigrant culture was also brought to the forefront, such as religion, specifically Islam to show its effect on the lives of immigrant women in countries outside their own.