# data[].attributes.headline
South Asian Britain: Connecting Histories digital resource

# data[].attributes.subject
South Asian Britain: Connecting Histories digital resource

# data[].attributes.body
South Asian Britain: Connecting Histories explores the links among South Asians across the United Kingdom, as well as the connections between South Asians and other groups in Britain, from the 1830s to the present day. With over 750 entries, it provides information about people, the organisations they were involved in and the major events in which they participated.

# data[].attributes.headline
Sources: Networks of global trade and Empire

# data[].attributes.subject
Sources: Networks of global trade and Empire

# data[].attributes.headline
Empire, imperialism and Indian independence

# data[].attributes.subject
Empire, imperialism and Indian independence

# data[].attributes.headline
Sources: Empire, imperialism and Indian independence

# data[].attributes.subject
Sources: Empire, imperialism and Indian independence

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
South Asians in Britain: First World War

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
South Asians in Britain: Second World War

# data[].attributes.headline
Sources: The welfare state, health and wellbeing

# data[].attributes.subject
Sources: The welfare state, health and wellbeing

# data[].attributes.headline
Sources: Women's history and experiences

# data[].attributes.subject
Sources: Women's history and experiences

# data[].attributes.body
South Asians in Britain, 1830s–present, is a webspace for school audiences that was accessible via the British Library website up until October 2023. Following the cyber-attack in 2023, the webspace has been unavailable. This interim Padlet board brings together much of the original resource, plus new research and content, including audio and visual sources from the British Library’s collections.

# data[].attributes.headline
Introduction to South Asians in Britain, 1830s–present

# data[].attributes.subject
Introduction to South Asians in Britain, 1830s–present

# data[].attributes.body
Draw on oral histories and visual sources to explore political events and personal testimonies surrounding the independence of India and creation of Pakistan in 1947.

# data[].attributes.body
Coming in September 2026

# data[].attributes.headline
South Asian writing in Britain: a timeline

# data[].attributes.subject
South Asian writing in Britain: a timeline

# data[].attributes.body
Explore a snapshot of the vast wealth of literature written and published in Britain and Ireland by writers of South Asian heritage and learn more about the history of South Asian writing in Britain.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
South Asian writing in Britain: a timeline

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A snapshot of South Asian writing and literature in Britain. This timeline provides a snapshot of the vast wealth of literature written and published in Britain and Ireland by writers of South Asian heritage. Aimed at Secondary school teachers, students and librarians, we hope it will lead you to explore novels, plays, poetry and non-fiction by authors of South Asian heritage and learn more about the history of South Asian writing in Britain.1 Here we look at South Asia as encompassing the histories of the modern states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and administered Kashmir. We recognise that identity is nuanced and that each writer defines themselves differently in relation to ethnicity, nationality and other aspects of their identity. We use the title ‘South Asian writing in Britain’ to highlight a region of writing, within which writers with connections to South Asia and Britain published their texts in Britain and Ireland.2 These connections are linked to British colonialism and imperialism, alongside diverse migration journeys and diaspora experiences. Some authors featured here were born in India during the East India Company’s rule (1757–1858) or Britain’s direct colonial administration (1858–1947), and migrated to or visited Britain; others migrated to Britain after World War Two, Independence and Partition, or other independence movements; while other writers have moved to Britain in more recent years, or were born and grew up here. Teachers and students may recognise many writers from their curriculums, including Meera Syal, Monica Ali, Daljit Nagra, Imtiaz Dharker and Seni Seneviratne. The design of the timeline particularly aims to support and contextualise the study of South Asian writing in Britain featured in English curriculums. It also aims to provide an idea of the breadth of writing. We feature many writers who have reached canonical statuses, from Dean Mohamed to Kamila Shamsie. We place these writers alongside works that broaden the representation of South Asian writing in Britain from writers such as Cedric Dover, Shelley Silas and Suhayl Saadi. This timeline provides examples of novels, poetry, plays, travel narratives, non-fiction and memoirs spanning from the 18th century up to the present day. We have also included entries that demonstrate initiatives to promote British and South Asian voices, including examples of notable publishing companies, literary organisations, theatre companies and magazines. Beyond these entries, there is also more literary history to uncover. For example, the 19th-century poet and playwright Madhusudan Dutt tried to publish in Britain, but his work was not accepted. In the 20th century, the activist, lawyer and politician Krishna Menon became a founding editor of Pelican Books (the non-fiction, educational imprint of Penguin Books) and made significant contributions to library services in St Pancras. Read together, we hope the timeline illuminates the literary and cultural heritages each writer emerges from, as well as the connections between some writers. Beyond this timeline, we hope you’re inspired to explore British and South Asian literature, arts and culture more widely. South Asian presence in Britain encompasses at least 400 years of history. To learn more about the relationship between South Asia and Britain see: South Asian Britain: Connecting Histories South Asian Diaspora Arts Archive British Library’s India Office Records and Private Papers British South Asian Theatre: mapping histories and practices The Next Act podcast Striking Women Bichitra: Digitised Tagore manuscripts

# data[].attributes.body
This collection features an article on historical context in Tanika Gupta's The Empress, plus primary sources, video clips and teaching resources.