Performing identity – How British Asians acquire subcultural capital, build social capital, and gain distinction through Bollywood, music and dance

We understand the processes of ethnic identity performance among second-generation British Asian women consumers by analysing interview data of their lived experiences. British Asian women acquire, use and produce situationally prized subcultural capital through consumption of Bollywood movies and artistic performances like dancing and singing. We find their ethnic identity performances are structured by the situational nature of consumer agency. We explicate the heterogeneity within, what are thought of as, homogenous cultures, and shed light on the emic relevance of this conceptualisation. Finally we stress upon the temporal and situational nature of ethnic identity performance. Thus, we paint a picture of the lived experiences of second-generation migrant consumers, focussing on the emically-relevant and often liberating aspects of their identity performances as opposed to the victimised and marginalised projections seen in much previous acculturation research