Paper long abstract:

The South Asian club scene in London, though more diverse than the name implies, has evolved over the last two decades, moving from being in spaces that catered for mainstream, white-dominated young people, to creating and moulding spaces that cater to the needs of young South Asian people.

Second and third generation South Asians have spawned entrepreneurs, who have created spaces and staked a claim in places previously untapped by them. With reference to Bourdieu's practices of distinction and drawing upon ethnographic research conducted in the city, the paper considers the social elevation of young South Asians who influence and create these new spaces in this urban setting. The paper then moves on to look at how these spaces relate to hierarchies and hegemonies in different spheres of their everyday lives.