Elites britanniques d'origine indo-pakistanaise et participation politique : un test de l'hypothèse culturelle

Abstract

British South Asian Elites and Political Participation : Testing the Cultural Thesis. Shamit Saggar. The article examines the arguments and evidence surrounding the debate over the political importance of ethnic minorities in the British political System and focuses especially on the political participation of the Britain's 1.5 million South Asians. Drawing on fresh and original evidence provided by the 1997 British Election study, the article describes the board characteristics of Asian electoral involvement, highlighting several lines of comparison between Asian and other ethnic minority groups as well as within the diverse Asian population. Thereafter the article turns to look at the specific role played by Asian political and non-political elites both in setting and responding to the terms of the evaluative debate over the importance of Asian electoral-based participation. Finally, the paper puts forward a discussion of Asian participation in the context ideological developments within the major political parties. This discussion effectively reopens the question of Asian political distinctiveness and in particular the debate over the role of Asian cultural values in shaping political attitudes and patterns of behaviour.