Marina Carter obtained her doctorate at Oxford University and has published extensively on the social history of the Mascarene islands, including a number of monographs, co-authored volumes and a host of articles.James Ng Foong Kwong studied at the University of Reunion [France] where he produced two theses on the subject of Chinese migration to Mauritius. He co-authored Forging the Rainbow: Labour Immigrants in British Mauritius [Alfran, 1997].

• General Editor’s IntroductionAcknowledgementsIntroductionThe Chinese Diaspora and the Colonial Indian OceanThe Chinese Presence on MauritiusHistoriography and the Chinese Diaspora1. Slaves, Convicts, Field Workers and Artisans: The Chinese in the Colonial Labour DiasporasA Note on NomenclatureDutch Settlements in the Indian Ocean Chinese immigrants in the 18th Century Isle of FranceThe Importation of Chinese Labourers and Convicts into British MauritiusChinese Artisans in 19th Century Mauritius2. The ‘Celestial Shopkeeper’: The Growth of a Chinese Commercial Class in MauritiusChinese Traders in the Isle of France and Early British MauritiusEarly Commercial Activities of Chinese SettlersA Temporary Setback: the Bank RobberyA New Wave of Immigrants and Geographical Dispersal of the Community Chinese Entrepreneurs and the Rum IndustryThe Chinese Commercial Class: Contemporary Appraisals3. Expansion and Diversification: Sino-Mauritians and Economic DevelopmentDiversification of the Chinese Business Sector in 19th Century MauritiusDevelopments in the 20th Century Retail SectorDiversification in Employment and Business in 20th Century Colonial MauritiusSino-Mauritians and the Post Independence Mauritian Economic Sector4. Managing Identity: The Politics of Community Formation and NetworkingPreserving the Brand – Policing and Governance within the Chinese communityCredit and Clan Networks Inter Community LinksChinese Networks Across the Indian Ocean and Remigration StrategiesStruggle for Representation: Political Institutions and the Chinese CommunityManaging Minority Status– Sino-Mauritians in the Post-Independence PeriodSino-Mauritians and Regional Networking5. The Construction of Community: Family, Kin, Social NetworksFamily life of Chinese Settlers in MauritiusReligion in the Life of the Overseas ChineseCultural Organizations and Leisure ActivitiesIssues of ‘Loss’ and Strategies of Adaptation: Language and Education Debates6. Sino-Mauritians in the Making of a Multi-Ethnic SocietyInter-Community Networks and Economic IntegrationSocial Integration: Immigrants and CreolesThe Fight against Stereotyping and the Search for RecognitionConclusionAppendicesAppendix 1. Occupations of the Population of Chinese Origin, 1901Appendix 2. The Distribution of the Chinese Population in the Districts of Mauritus, 1921Appendix 3. The Urbanisation of the Population of Chinese Origin in Mauritius, 1952Appendix 4. Two of Many: Case Studies of Sino-MauritiansBibliographyIndex