Multiculturalism and magic realism? Between fiction and reality
2. Great Britain and Immigration
Immigration to Great Britain is not a new phenomenon. The flow of ethnic groups, from which the present British population originates, has a long history and the country has seen waves of immigration of different ethnic groups for centuries. Invaders like the Anglo-Saxons and Normans successively populated the country as well as the Irish, for example, as a result of the famines in Ireland in the 19th century. This has to be kept in mind when talking about immigration to Britain – the population as it is composed today is the result of centuries of immigration.
The success of the novel considered in this thesis cannot be understood without any knowledge of the history of immigration and certain ethnic minorities [35] in Britain, especially since the end of World War II [36] , as the themes dealt with in the book are closely interlinked with that period of British history. This chapter will give an overview of selected aspects of this phenomenon [37] .
2.1 Britain and Colonialism
Because of its period of colonial expansion, Great Britain has had, for several centuries, a tradition of immigration which is nowadays shown in its multicultural population [38] . But what happened during the period of colonialism so that it resulted in cultural pluralism in Britain?
Colonialism refers to the seizure of foreign territories by imperial powers like Britain. The inhabitants of these countries are either expelled or suppressed, the land populated with colonisers and the economy exploited. The political power of the colonisers expands to their colonies and the colonisers decide on political issues, the education system and culture. The traditions of the local people are often forbidden or alienated.
Britain expanded its territories and colonies overseas from the 16th century with a climax at the end of the 19th century [39] . Independence began mainly after World War II when most British possessions were decolonised and founded their own states afterwards [40] . As a consequence, the Empire [41] came completely to an end in the 1960s [42] . But most of the former colonies now belong to the Third World [43] and are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, a voluntary association of 49 independent states which has evolved from the former British Empire [44] . Its aims are to aid these countries, the promotion of international understanding, mutual co-operation and consultation among governments and scientific co-operation [45] . Although there are no obligations concerning the education systems in the former colonies, there is a common tradition of the English language instruction at school [46] .
2.2 White Teeth and Immigration
As White Teeth is mainly the story of immigrants from the former colonies Bangladesh and Jamaica, which are both today Commonwealth member states, and of Jews from Poland, the following chapter deals with a short overview of the history of these countries and Jews in England as relevant to the novel.
2.2.1 The History of Jamaica
Irie, one of the main characters of the novel, is half-Jamaican and half-English. Her Jamaican mother Clara, the island, its history and people play a crucial role in White Teeth . Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea with approximately 2.6 million inhabitants and its capital is called Kingston [47] . The island became independent on August 6 1962 [48] . Queen Elizabeth II is head of state in