ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a paradox at the heart of British Pakistani politics. On the one hand, the use of biraderi (kinship networks) within the political process has excluded specific subsections of British Pakistanis, namely, women and young people, whilst benefitting others, particularly older males. On the other hand, a consequence of biraderi electoral mobilisations, has been the relative success of British Pakistani politicians in attaining local and national level positions in office. This, in turn, has been symbolically significant for many young British Pakistanis, including women, raising aspirations and inspiring a belief amongst a new generation of British Pakistanis, that they too, can ‘make it’ in politics. In this way, biraderi practices have, indirectly, contributed to the political aspirations and successes of the very sub-sections of individuals they had traditionally excluded. The descriptive representation of British Pakistanis in the political institutions, has then, been significant for a generation of potential political candidates.
