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The geographical diversity of the Indian diaspora has been shaped against the backdrop of the historical forces of colonialism, nationalism and neoliberal globalization. In each of these global moments, the demand for Indian workers has created the multiple global pathways of the Indian diasporas.
The Routledge Handbook of the Indian Diaspora introduces readers to the contexts and histories that constitute the Indian diaspora. It brings together scholars from different parts of the globe, representing various disciplines, and covers extensive spatial and temporal terrain. Contributors draw from a variety of archives and intellectual perspectives in order to map the narratives of the Indian diaspora. The topics covered range from the history of diasporic communities, activism, identity, gender, politics, labour, policy, violence, performance, literature and branding.
The handbook analyses a wide array of issues and debates and is organised in six parts:
- Histories and trajectories
- Diaspora and infrastructures
- Cultural dynamics
- Representation and identity
- Politics of belonging
- Networked subjectivities and transnationalism.
Providing a comprehensive analysis of the diverse social, cultural and economic contexts that frame diasporic practices, this key reference work will reinvigorate discussions about the Indian diaspora, its global presence and trajectories. It will be an invaluable resource for academics, researchers and students interested in studying South Asia in general and the Indian diaspora in particular.
List of contents
Introduction, Radha S. Hegde and Ajaya K. Sahoo
Part I: Histories and trajectories
- Indian servitude in the British empire, Vinay Lal
- Race, ethnicity and conflict in the Indian diaspora, Brij Maharaj
- Writing indenture history through testimonios and oral narratives, Vijay Mishra
- Coolitude meets indianité: Postcolonial kala pani writings in French, Brinda J. Mehta
- Out of India: East Africa and its South Asian diasporas, Sana Aiyar
Part II: Diaspora and infrastructures
- Labour policy and global Indian diaspora, SaunJuhi Verma
- Paradigms, policies, and patterns of Indian diaspora investments, Daniel Naujoks
- Transnational diaspora organizations and India's development, Rina Agarwala
- Money flows, gender and family among Indian migrants to Australia, Supriya Singh
Part III: Cultural dynamics
- Programming Bollywood: media and the Indian-American diaspora, 1965-2010, Aswin Punathambekar
- Migratory South Asian performances: between nationalism and assimilation, Priya Srinivasan
- Musical performances in the Indian diaspora, Tina K. Ramnarine
- Transnational Bollywood assemblages in Singapore, Anjali Gera Roy
- Diasporic visual vultures of Indian fashion and beauty, Vanita Reddy
Part IV: Representation and identity
- Poetic politics: from Ghadar to the Indian Workers' Association, Virinder S. Kalra
- South Asian women and work in the diaspora, Tania Das Gupta
- Of intersecting oppressions: domestic violence and the Indian diaspora, Rupaleem Bhuyan and Susan Ramsundarsingh
- Celebrating Indian culture: festival spaces and entangled lives in Darwin, North Australia, Michele Lobo
- Softening India abroad: representations of India and its diaspora in the Canadian Press, Huzan Dordi and Margaret Walton-Roberts
Part V: Politics of belonging
- Renewing diasporic bonds and the global branding of India, Radha S. Hegde
- Performing Indian American ethnicity in mainstream America, Bandana Purkayastha, Shweta Majumdar Adur and Koyel Khan
- Home, belonging and the city in the Anglo-Indian diaspora, Jayani Bonnerjee
- Memories and apprehensions: temporalities of queer South Asian belonging and activism in the diaspora, Shweta Majumdar Adur
Part VI: Networked subjectivities and transnationalism
- Indians in Australia: understanding the changing face of a community, Michiel Baas
- Networks, caste, and transnational identities, Goolam Vahed
- Geographies of Indian transnationalism, Carmen Voigt-Graf
- Of kaleidoscopic mothers and diasporic twists: the mother/daughter plot in the work of Jhumpa Lahiri, Delphine Munos
- Diasporic subjectivity: of loss, memory, being, and becoming, Mala Pandurang
About the author
Radha Sarma Hegde is Professor of Media, Culture and Communication at New York University, U.S. Her research interests focus on issues of migration, transnational feminism, globalization and media. She is the author of Mediating Migration (2016), and currently co-editor of the journal Feminist Media Studies.
Ajaya Kumar Sahoo is Assistant Professor at the Centre for the Study of Indian Diaspora, University of Hyderabad, India. His research interests include Indian diaspora and transnationalism. His recent co-edited books include Indian Transnationalism Online (2014) and Transnational Migrations (2009). He is the editor of the journal South Asian Diaspora.
Summary
This book introduces readers to the contexts and histories that constitute the Indian diaspora. It brings together scholars from different parts of the globe, representing various disciplines, and covers extensive spatial and temporal terrain. Contributors draw from a variety of archives in order to map the narratives of the Indian diaspora.
