Journeys of Love: Kashmiris, Music, and the Poetics of Migration

Ethnomusicologist Hodgson (Univ. of California, Los Angeles) spotlights various events during his fieldwork with Muslim immigrant communities—specifically, Pakistanis in England—debunking stereotypes about their music and poetry. On the way to a wedding in Pakistan, Kashmiri musicians sing verses from Mian Muhammad Bakhsh’s poem “Saiful Malook.” Patrons at a barbershop in the West Yorkshire city of Bradford debate whether the rise of hip-hop among younger Mirpuris is a valid art form, while the area’s university students and activists create a music festival to celebrate South Asian culture, which is later coopted by the city council. Hodgson, a white British man who grew up in a predominantly Pakistani neighborhood in Bradford, presents an immersive experience of poetry, music, and community. Each chapter of his book weaves across various scenic locations while focusing on the history of Kashmiri and Mirpuri migration and the discrimination these communities faced in the United Kingdom. As British politicians demanded assimilation, both communities stayed steadfast in their culture. The book includes many excerpts from poems and song lyrics, written in Urdu, Pothwari, transliterations, and English.