Ajaya K. Sahoo is Professor at the Centre for Indian Diaspora, University of Hyderabad. His areas of research interests comprise international migration, South Asian diaspora, and transnationalism.
This important volume brings together expert analysis of the complex relationship between diaspor... more This important volume brings together expert analysis of the complex relationship between diasporas and development in Asia. The diverse chapters address key issues including investment and remittances, philanthropy, socio-cultural change, legal rights, knowledge transfer as well as international and regional politics. Drawing on different theoretical traditions and historical perspectives, the contributions together provide an essential overview of a key process of change in Asia and beyond that will shape the 21st century."
The Routledge Handbook of the Indian Diaspora provides an analysis of the social and economic con... more The Routledge Handbook of the Indian Diaspora provides an analysis of the social and economic contexts and the diasporic practices of the Indian Diaspora. Divided into seven parts, the handbook features over 30 contributions focused around: Emigration, Immigration and Diaspora Relations; The Structure of Belonging; Religious and Cultural Dynamics; The Question of Identity; The Struggle for Power; Second Generation and Return; Mobility, Transnationality and Diaspora. Contributors to the first two sections emphasise the migratory movements that have led to the formation of the Indian diaspora. Chapters reveal the geographical scope of the diaspora and highlight different processes, opportunities and constraints that the Indian diaspora faces in its different locales. In the other sections, the discussion of diaspora centres on diasporic practices: ways and means of remembering, enacting diasporic belonging and the sites and spaces where such narratives of belonging are performed. Offering a comprehensive overview of the field, the Handbook is an invaluable resource for academics, researchers, and students studying the South Asian Studies in general and the Indian Diaspora in particular.
The Komagata Maru incident has become central to ongoing debates on Canadian racism, immigration,... more The Komagata Maru incident has become central to ongoing debates on Canadian racism, immigration, multiculturalism, citizenship and Indian nationalist resistance. The chapters presented in this book, written by established and emerging historians and scholars in literary, cultural, religious, immigration and diaspora studies, revisit the ship’s ill-fated journey to throw new light on its impact on South Asian migration and surveillance, ethnic and race relations, anticolonial and postcolonial resistance, and citizenship. The book draws on archival resources to offer the first multidisciplinary study of the historic event that views it through imperial, regional, national and transnational lenses and positions the journey both temporally and spatially within micro and macro histories of several regions in the British Empire. This volume contributes to the emerging literature on migration, mobilities, borders and surveillance, regionalism and transnationalism. Apart from its interest to scholars of diaspora and nationalism, this book will deeply resonate with those interested in imperialism, migration, transnationalism, Punjab and Sikh studies.
Description This book studies Indian diaspora, currenlty 20 million across the world, from variou... more Description This book studies Indian diaspora, currenlty 20 million across the world, from various perspectives. It looks at the 'transnational' nature of the middle class worker. Other aspects include: post 9/11 challenges; ethnicity in USA; cultural identity versus national identity; gender issues amongst the diaspora communities. It argues that Indian middle classes have the unique advantages of skills, mobility, cultural rootedness and ethics of hard-work.
, comprising over 20 million people spread across a hundred countries, continues to grow in size ... more , comprising over 20 million people spread across a hundred countries, continues to grow in size and make its presence felt. This collection traces various forms of plurality within the diaspora: geographical dispersion, historical contexts, temporal frames, authorial positions and political affiliations. It is an assemblage, not a narrative, and purposefully so. It does not attempt to produce a new boundary around diasporic identifications, but rather to unsettle diaspora by loosely juxtaposing a set of chapters that provide complementary, sometimes conflicting perspectives on diasporic locations, identifications and representations. Some sections of the compilation probe the migratory movements that have led to the formation of the Indian diaspora, unpacking its geographical scope and highlighting its different locales. Others look at diasporic practices, focusing on the ways and means of remembering and enacting diasporic belonging and the sites and spaces where such narratives of belonging are performed. This work is an invaluable resource for students, researchers and academicians working in the fields of anthropology,
Present-day migration takes place in a world characterized by the compression of time and space, ... more Present-day migration takes place in a world characterized by the compression of time and space, with cheaper air travel and the existence of new communication technologies-the internet in particular-making it easier to stay in contact with the places, people and cultures that one has left. This book investigates the online organization of, and exchanges within, the global Indian diaspora. Bringing together research from around the world and presenting studies drawn from the US, Europe and India, it engages with theoretical and methodological debates concerning the shaping and transformation of migrant culture in emerging sites of sociality, and explores issues such as religion, citizenship, nationalism, region and caste as they relate to Indian identity in global, transnational contexts. With detailed empirical case studies showing both how members of the Indian diaspora connect with one other and 'life at home' and how institutions in India maintain such links, Indian Transnationalism Online sheds light on the ways in which information and communication technology functions as both a catalyst and indicator of contemporary socio-cultural change. As such it will be of interest to sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists and studies of cultural studies working in the areas of migration, transnationalism and ethnic studies.
Globalization associated with development in information and communication technologies ushered d... more Globalization associated with development in information and communication technologies ushered diasporas to play an important role in marketing the homeland culture globally. Among the many traditional Indian art forms that are getting visible transnationally today is the Theyyam. Theyyam is a traditional ritual art form of worship observed in the Kannur and Kasargod districts of Northern Kerala state in India. It is the folk God for North Malabaris which is accompanied by dance and other rituals. There are approximately four hundred varieties of Theyyams and several of them are performed in the diasporas. This article argues that when the Theyyam is performed transnationally, the true essence of the ritual art form changed compared to its performance in the original settings and thereby opens up for commodification. Ethnographic data for this study derives from in-depth interviews with Theyyam artists, informal conversations with Theyyam devotees and villagers besides observation of Theyyam performances.
More than a hundred years ago, a Japanese ship called Komagata
Maru chartered by Gurdit Singh, a ... more More than a hundred years ago, a Japanese ship called Komagata Maru chartered by Gurdit Singh, a prosperous entrepreneur based in Singapore, carrying 376 Punjabi passengers - largely Sikhs but also some Hindus and Muslims - from Hong Kong was not permitted to land in Vancouver on grounds of a stipulation about a continuous journey from the port of departure and forced to return to Budge Budge near Kolkata where the passengers were fired at, detained or kept under surveillance for years. The Komagata Maru has become the site for the contestation over discriminatory policies regulating South Asian migrations to Canada. While the passengers perceived it as a violent instance of the suppression of the freedom and rights of the loyal subjects of the British Empire, the colonial administration justified its action alleging that seditious activities were being carried out on the chartered ship. The resurrection of the Komagata Maru’s tragic journey in Canadian and Indian national memories foregrounds a number of key contemporary debates related to memory and history; imperialism and resistance; racism, exclusion and inclusion; nation and citizenship; mobilities and immobilities; and emigration and diasporas.
This important volume brings together expert analysis of the complex relationship between diaspor... more This important volume brings together expert analysis of the complex relationship between diasporas and development in Asia. The diverse chapters address key issues including investment and remittances, philanthropy, socio-cultural change, legal rights, knowledge transfer as well as international and regional politics. Drawing on different theoretical traditions and historical perspectives, the contributions together provide an essential overview of a key process of change in Asia and beyond that will shape the 21st century."
The Routledge Handbook of the Indian Diaspora provides an analysis of the social and economic con... more The Routledge Handbook of the Indian Diaspora provides an analysis of the social and economic contexts and the diasporic practices of the Indian Diaspora. Divided into seven parts, the handbook features over 30 contributions focused around: Emigration, Immigration and Diaspora Relations; The Structure of Belonging; Religious and Cultural Dynamics; The Question of Identity; The Struggle for Power; Second Generation and Return; Mobility, Transnationality and Diaspora. Contributors to the first two sections emphasise the migratory movements that have led to the formation of the Indian diaspora. Chapters reveal the geographical scope of the diaspora and highlight different processes, opportunities and constraints that the Indian diaspora faces in its different locales. In the other sections, the discussion of diaspora centres on diasporic practices: ways and means of remembering, enacting diasporic belonging and the sites and spaces where such narratives of belonging are performed. Offering a comprehensive overview of the field, the Handbook is an invaluable resource for academics, researchers, and students studying the South Asian Studies in general and the Indian Diaspora in particular.
The Komagata Maru incident has become central to ongoing debates on Canadian racism, immigration,... more The Komagata Maru incident has become central to ongoing debates on Canadian racism, immigration, multiculturalism, citizenship and Indian nationalist resistance. The chapters presented in this book, written by established and emerging historians and scholars in literary, cultural, religious, immigration and diaspora studies, revisit the ship’s ill-fated journey to throw new light on its impact on South Asian migration and surveillance, ethnic and race relations, anticolonial and postcolonial resistance, and citizenship. The book draws on archival resources to offer the first multidisciplinary study of the historic event that views it through imperial, regional, national and transnational lenses and positions the journey both temporally and spatially within micro and macro histories of several regions in the British Empire. This volume contributes to the emerging literature on migration, mobilities, borders and surveillance, regionalism and transnationalism. Apart from its interest to scholars of diaspora and nationalism, this book will deeply resonate with those interested in imperialism, migration, transnationalism, Punjab and Sikh studies.
Description This book studies Indian diaspora, currenlty 20 million across the world, from variou... more Description This book studies Indian diaspora, currenlty 20 million across the world, from various perspectives. It looks at the 'transnational' nature of the middle class worker. Other aspects include: post 9/11 challenges; ethnicity in USA; cultural identity versus national identity; gender issues amongst the diaspora communities. It argues that Indian middle classes have the unique advantages of skills, mobility, cultural rootedness and ethics of hard-work.
, comprising over 20 million people spread across a hundred countries, continues to grow in size ... more , comprising over 20 million people spread across a hundred countries, continues to grow in size and make its presence felt. This collection traces various forms of plurality within the diaspora: geographical dispersion, historical contexts, temporal frames, authorial positions and political affiliations. It is an assemblage, not a narrative, and purposefully so. It does not attempt to produce a new boundary around diasporic identifications, but rather to unsettle diaspora by loosely juxtaposing a set of chapters that provide complementary, sometimes conflicting perspectives on diasporic locations, identifications and representations. Some sections of the compilation probe the migratory movements that have led to the formation of the Indian diaspora, unpacking its geographical scope and highlighting its different locales. Others look at diasporic practices, focusing on the ways and means of remembering and enacting diasporic belonging and the sites and spaces where such narratives of belonging are performed. This work is an invaluable resource for students, researchers and academicians working in the fields of anthropology,
Present-day migration takes place in a world characterized by the compression of time and space, ... more Present-day migration takes place in a world characterized by the compression of time and space, with cheaper air travel and the existence of new communication technologies-the internet in particular-making it easier to stay in contact with the places, people and cultures that one has left. This book investigates the online organization of, and exchanges within, the global Indian diaspora. Bringing together research from around the world and presenting studies drawn from the US, Europe and India, it engages with theoretical and methodological debates concerning the shaping and transformation of migrant culture in emerging sites of sociality, and explores issues such as religion, citizenship, nationalism, region and caste as they relate to Indian identity in global, transnational contexts. With detailed empirical case studies showing both how members of the Indian diaspora connect with one other and 'life at home' and how institutions in India maintain such links, Indian Transnationalism Online sheds light on the ways in which information and communication technology functions as both a catalyst and indicator of contemporary socio-cultural change. As such it will be of interest to sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists and studies of cultural studies working in the areas of migration, transnationalism and ethnic studies.
Globalization associated with development in information and communication technologies ushered d... more Globalization associated with development in information and communication technologies ushered diasporas to play an important role in marketing the homeland culture globally. Among the many traditional Indian art forms that are getting visible transnationally today is the Theyyam. Theyyam is a traditional ritual art form of worship observed in the Kannur and Kasargod districts of Northern Kerala state in India. It is the folk God for North Malabaris which is accompanied by dance and other rituals. There are approximately four hundred varieties of Theyyams and several of them are performed in the diasporas. This article argues that when the Theyyam is performed transnationally, the true essence of the ritual art form changed compared to its performance in the original settings and thereby opens up for commodification. Ethnographic data for this study derives from in-depth interviews with Theyyam artists, informal conversations with Theyyam devotees and villagers besides observation of Theyyam performances.
More than a hundred years ago, a Japanese ship called Komagata
Maru chartered by Gurdit Singh, a ... more More than a hundred years ago, a Japanese ship called Komagata Maru chartered by Gurdit Singh, a prosperous entrepreneur based in Singapore, carrying 376 Punjabi passengers - largely Sikhs but also some Hindus and Muslims - from Hong Kong was not permitted to land in Vancouver on grounds of a stipulation about a continuous journey from the port of departure and forced to return to Budge Budge near Kolkata where the passengers were fired at, detained or kept under surveillance for years. The Komagata Maru has become the site for the contestation over discriminatory policies regulating South Asian migrations to Canada. While the passengers perceived it as a violent instance of the suppression of the freedom and rights of the loyal subjects of the British Empire, the colonial administration justified its action alleging that seditious activities were being carried out on the chartered ship. The resurrection of the Komagata Maru’s tragic journey in Canadian and Indian national memories foregrounds a number of key contemporary debates related to memory and history; imperialism and resistance; racism, exclusion and inclusion; nation and citizenship; mobilities and immobilities; and emigration and diasporas.
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Maru chartered by Gurdit Singh, a prosperous entrepreneur based
in Singapore, carrying 376 Punjabi passengers - largely Sikhs but
also some Hindus and Muslims - from Hong Kong was not
permitted to land in Vancouver on grounds of a stipulation about
a continuous journey from the port of departure and forced to
return to Budge Budge near Kolkata where the passengers were
fired at, detained or kept under surveillance for years. The
Komagata Maru has become the site for the contestation over
discriminatory policies regulating South Asian migrations to
Canada. While the passengers perceived it as a violent instance of
the suppression of the freedom and rights of the loyal subjects of
the British Empire, the colonial administration justified its action
alleging that seditious activities were being carried out on the
chartered ship. The resurrection of the Komagata Maru’s tragic
journey in Canadian and Indian national memories foregrounds a
number of key contemporary debates related to memory and
history; imperialism and resistance; racism, exclusion and
inclusion; nation and citizenship; mobilities and immobilities; and
emigration and diasporas.
Maru chartered by Gurdit Singh, a prosperous entrepreneur based
in Singapore, carrying 376 Punjabi passengers - largely Sikhs but
also some Hindus and Muslims - from Hong Kong was not
permitted to land in Vancouver on grounds of a stipulation about
a continuous journey from the port of departure and forced to
return to Budge Budge near Kolkata where the passengers were
fired at, detained or kept under surveillance for years. The
Komagata Maru has become the site for the contestation over
discriminatory policies regulating South Asian migrations to
Canada. While the passengers perceived it as a violent instance of
the suppression of the freedom and rights of the loyal subjects of
the British Empire, the colonial administration justified its action
alleging that seditious activities were being carried out on the
chartered ship. The resurrection of the Komagata Maru’s tragic
journey in Canadian and Indian national memories foregrounds a
number of key contemporary debates related to memory and
history; imperialism and resistance; racism, exclusion and
inclusion; nation and citizenship; mobilities and immobilities; and
emigration and diasporas.