‘People Recognise Us as the Bravest of the Brave’: Retired Gurkha Soldiers Negotiating Employment, Racialisation and Identity in Britain

ABSTRACT This article aims to contribute new insights into ageing migrants and masculinity by drawing upon life story interviews with retired Nepali Gurkha soldiers settled in South‐East England. Less is known about middle‐aged and older migrants who migrate not to retire per se but to pursue a second or third career in later life. Our research adds new insights into how these men mobilise capitals to navigate new and unfamiliar job markets, post‐retirement, in their middle and older age. Drawing upon the concept of ‘presentation of self’, the paper illustrates how Gurkha men utilise their martial identity—as brave, strong and loyal ex‐soldiers in the British Army—to challenge discrimination and navigate new lives in Britain. However, the Gurkha image is also based on colonial racialisation. Nonetheless, we find that preserving their Gurkha identity and their legacy of service to the British Crown was not only to gain recognition of their military service and unique status, but also to assert their masculine identities in the new contexts in Britain.