Turning the spotlight on Bollywood cinema, this book illuminates how second-generation youth of South Asian origin draw on media in the development of uniquely hybrid identities.

As various nations wrestle with issues of immigration, integration, and pluralism, second-generation immigrants are exploring new ways to make sense of who they are and where they belong in the face of competing cultural demands. They may call their adopted countries home, but these young adults know that they stand out from the majority. 

Dreaming in Canadian turns the spotlight on the role of Bollywood cinema in the production of cultural, religious, and national identities among South Asian youth, particularly Muslims, in Toronto, Vancouver, and Ottawa. Young people share their thoughts on how Bollywood shapes and reflects their perceptions of themselves, how they practise their faith and interpret cultural values, and whether they view themselves as hyphenated Canadians. By documenting the voices of these young adults and how they draw on media in the formation of uniquely hybrid identities, this book interrogates the realities that underpin media portrayals of diaspora, nationalism, and multiculturalism.

"In the post-9/11 era, in which Muslims are repeatedly represented as Other to the supposedly civilized Western world, Hirji’s contribution to scholarship is genuinely important and she has produced a book that is highly worth reading." - TOPIA