ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a reading of a TV interview with British comedian Shazia Mirza as a migrant narrative. In her comedy routines, Mirza habitually draws on her stage persona’s experiences as a British Muslim woman of Pakistani background. As such, she often references restrictions imposed on Muslim women concerning clothing or relationships with men, stereotypical perceptions of Muslim codes of conduct, as well as her parents’ preoccupation with her being unmarried. One underlying principle to these references is the assumption that the cultural background of her family is inherently different to what might generally be perceived as mainstream British society. In her public appearances, Shazia Mirza exposes these fault lines inscribed into contemporary Muslim experiences in Western societies and exploits them for comic effect. By negotiating Muslim and gender identity positions, she proves the potential of migrant narratives to challenge societal discourse, and stereotypical notions of victimhood therein.
