This article originally appeared on Noisey UK. These days, the personal feels political. "Identity politics" are sneered at by those on the right. Conversations around who we can and should see feel constant. Being visible becomes a radical act. For actor-rapper-writer Riz Ahmed, whose identity seems to always involve a hyphen, this couldn't be any clearer. As the British son of Pakistani immigrants, his massive year in 2016 felt like a statement of defiance in the face of Brexit and Donald Trump-style nationalism. And, with my conspiracy theory feelers tingling, it seems like more than coincidence that his biggest role to date shows him aiding a rebellion in Rogue One.Along with a breakout performance in HBO's The Night Of, last year Ahmed offered up his view of the world on solo mixtape Englistan and—alongside Heems and Redinho—on Swet Shop Boys' album Cashmere. And that's all very well and good, but there's more to Ahmed's impact than some big tunes and a few major roles onscreen. With the odds stacked against him, he's also become a voice for "third-culture children"—those who don't completely fit in with the cultural customs of their parents or the places where they live—that resonates around the world. Labelled a perpetual foreigner in his own land, he turns being a misfit into a way to see the world through a wider lens.Continue reading on Noisey.