Is bhangra an important part of the identity of South Asians?
Bhangra is very important for the Punjabis and the Punjabi diaspora. Bollywood plays a similar role for the South Asian diaspora. When I was growing up in the 80’s, bhangra was that pan-Asian musical form. But that was primarily because it was opening up the space of clubs for us, and opening up a certain space where we could articulate our identity. But subsequent to that, I think Bollywood has become more important as a pan-South-Asian musical form, and bhangra is still important for Punjabis. For linguistic reasons, but also because of the spaces where the music is performed, and the spaces where the music circulates. The club culture around bhangra has declined, today it finds its home at weddings and at other family settings, parties, which are Punjabi dominated. Whereas Bollywood is something you find across the South Asian diaspora, in public spaces, in parties and in clubs. Bhangra opened up that space, and the space for young women who weren’t allowed to go out at night. There
