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Ethnic Minority Restaurateurs and the Regeneration of ‘Banglatown’ in London’s East End

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Shaw, Stephen and Bagwell, Sue (2012) Ethnic Minority Restaurateurs and the Regeneration of ‘Banglatown’ in London’s East End. In: Selling ethnic neighborhoods : the rise of neighborhoods as places of leisure and consumption. Routledge, London, pp. 34-51. ISBN 9780415899598

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Abstract

This chapter examines the circumstances that transformed Brick Lane into ‘Banglatown - London’s Curry Capital’, focusing on the narratives of place promoted by new alliances of local government, business and civil society. While these partnerships widened participation, it would be naïve to assume that the ‘stakeholders’ enjoyed equal influence over decisions regarding public intervention, some of which had profound implications for the area and their own well-being. More specifically, this chapter examines a programme to package and sell a minority ‘culture’ - an exotic spectacle for the benefit of visitors more affluent than the local population - which has enabled Brick Lane restaurant owners to create new wealth and jobs. This approach is compared to alternatives that have developed in the revitalisation of two other thoroughfares associated with Asian communities - Green Street in Northeast London and Southall Broadway, near Heathrow in the West - both of which adopted a more pluralistic and hybrid vision of connections with contemporary Asian cultures.

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