Double Loyalties: South Asian Adolescents in the West

Double Loyalties is a major study of issues facing second- and third-generation South Asian young people growing up in western countries. Drawing on extensive fieldwork from four countries (Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia), Paul Ghuman offers a detailed view of such areas as schooling and education, bilingualism, acculturation patterns, cultural conflicts and identity formation, racial prejudice, gender equality and employment opportunities.

Integrating quantitative data derived from an acculturation scale and qualitative material gathered from interviews and observations with psychological and anthropological theories, Double Loyalties provide a significant in-depth analysis of contemporary biculturalism and bilingualism. It makes constructive suggestions to improve the education and lifestyles of young South Asians in the West and will be essential reading for researchers in the field of ethnic minority studies and cross-cultural studies, as well as for teachers, youth workers and social workers.