'I feel my Dad every moment!': memory, emotion and embodiment in British South Asian fathering practices

This chapter examines the fathering narratives of British South Asian men with children aged three to eight years, in the context of their complex migration histories and experiences of socioeconomic marginalisation in contemporary Britain. It investigates men’s narratives about their memories of their own fathers and their legacy for own values and practices as fathers. The findings show that the fathering practices are shaped not just by the intergenerational replication of values and practices but also by the deep emotional legacy that children inherit from their fathers. Further, fathering is embedded in wider socioeconomic and racial hierarchies, which constrain men’s ability to father in new ways. Despite their efforts, many fathers consciously or unconsciously end up replicating their fathers’ parenting practices such as working long hours and absence from the day-to-day lives of their children.