Paddington Bear: A Case Study of Immigration and Otherness

This paper seeks to explore issues of immigration and Otherness through a study of the first of Michael Bondʹs Paddington books. I will argue that this book and those which follow in the series, intended for a readership of young children, deal with the issue of immigration at a more subtle level than more recent books which are largely aimed at older children who, it is assumed, are better able to cope with the complex political and psychological issues involved. Paddington, as a series of books begun in the late 1950s, presents issues of anti-racism and `Othernessʹ which can be revealed through a close textual analysis of the introductory chapters of the first book in series, A Bear Called Paddington (1958)1, whilst also showing how the dominant culture retains its superior status.