This episode is all about the bear, the myth, the legend: Paddington. Whether you know him as the British icon who has tea with the Queen, or if you know him as the quirky little bear with a big heart, Paddington Bear's reputation certainly precedes him. Join us this month as we attempt to unpick the dynamics of Paddington's dual identity as both a model Brit and model immigrant. We will be delving into his origins as an environmental refugee, his relationship to British culture, and his lasting legacy as just a super cute Literal Bear from a children's book. We also discuss the author, Michael Bond's, inspirations behind the character and attempt to answer the all important question: where in the world is "Darkest" Peru?
Music and sound mixing by Max Elliott
Bibliography
Bond, Michael. A Bear Called Paddington. London: Collins, 1958.
Bond, Michael. Paddington Here and Now. London: HarperCollins, 2008.
“Can You Pass the Citizenship Test?” Lifeintheuktests.co.uk, lifeintheuktests.co.uk/life-in-the-uk-test/.
Hunt, Peter and Karen Sands. “The View from the Center: British Empire and Post-Empire Children's Literature.” Voices of the Other, edited by Roderick McGillis, Routledge, 2000, pp. 39-54.
Masters, Tim. “The Story behind Paddington’s Calypso Songs.” BBC News, BBC News, 28 Nov. 2014, www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30196290. Accessed 12 May 2024.
Mead, Rebecca. “Paddington Bear, Refugee.” The New Yorker, 28 June. 2017, www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/paddington-bear-refugee.
Pauli, Michelle. “Michael Bond: “Paddington Stands up for Things, He’s Not Afraid of Going to the Top and Giving Them a Hard Stare.”” The Guardian, 28 Nov. 2014, www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/28/michael-bond-author-paddington-bear-interview-books-television-film.
Smith, Angela. “Paddington Bear: A Case Study of Immigration and Otherness.” Children’s Literature in Education, vol. 37, no. 1, Mar. 2006, pp. 35–50, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-005-9453-3.
Thomas, Adam. “Paddington Bear and Black British Migration Politics.” AAIHS, 2 Nov. 2022, www.aaihs.org/paddington-bear-and-black-british-migration-politics/.
Yeo, Colin. “An Immigration Lawyer Reviews Paddington.” Free Movement, 29 June 2017, freemovement.org.uk/an-immigration-lawyer-reviews-paddington/.
