South Asians Overseas Migration and Ethnicity

The South Asian diaspora came into being with the end of slavery in the British Empire. Huge numbers of labourers were recruited in the Indian sub-continent for indentured labour schemes, notably in Southeast Asia, South and East Africa, Mauritius, Fiji and the Caribbean, and also in French colonies. Later there were waves of 'free' immigration to these and other countries, including, in the last generation, Britain itself and North America. This set of essays by scholars from several different disciplines offers detailed accounts of the experience of the migrant communities, and the editors contribute valuable overviews. Originally published in 1990, it is an indispensable resource for scholars interested in the diaspora, or concerned with problems of migration.

List of figures; List of maps; List of tables; Notes on contributors; Preface; Introduction: themes in the study of the South Asian diaspora Colin Clarke, Ceri Peach and Steven Vertovec; Part I. South Asians in Colonial and Post-Colonial Contexts: Introduction Colin Clarke, Ceri Peach and Steven Vertovec; 1. Indians in Southeast Asia: imperial auxiliaries Hugh Tinker; 2. Women under indenture in colonial Natal, 1860–1911 Jo Beall; 3. Indians in the French Overseas Departments: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion Singaravélou; 4. Oil boom and recession in Trinidad Indian villages Steven Vertovec; 5. The Fiji Indians: marooned at home Victor Lal; 6. The political position of Indians in South Africa Anthony Lemon; 7. East African Asians through a hundred years Michael Twaddle; Part II. South Asians in Contemporary Western Countries and the Middle East: Introduction Colin Clarke, Ceri Peach and Steven Vertovec; 8. South Asian countries as competitors on the world labour market Béatrice Knerr; 9. Asian Indians in the United States: a geographic appraisal Surinder M. Bhardwaj and N. Madhusudana Rao; 10. Migration and kinship: the differential effect of marriage rules on the processes of Punjabi migration to Britain Roger Ballard; 11. Transcontinental families - Gujarat and Lancashire: a comparative study Elinor Kelly; 12. Boom and gloom: the success and failure of South Asians in Britain Vaughan Robinson; 13. The participation of Asians in the British political system Muhammad Anwar; 14. Bangladeshi community organisation and leadership in Tower Hamlets, East London John Eade; 15. Manchester Pakistanis: division and unity Pnina Werbner; Author index; Subject index.

The South Asian diaspora came into being with the end of slavery in the British Empire. Labourers were recruited in the Indian sub-continent for indentured labour schemes in places such as Asia, Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, the Caribbean, and the French colonies, which was followed by 'free' immigration to these and other countries, including Britain. This book offers detailed accounts of the experience of the migrant communities.