Ruben Gowricharn – författare

This book critically examines new perspectives on the transformations in the Indian diaspora. It studies the changing perspectives on the historical background of the diaspora and analyses fresh and emerging views in response to new configurations in diaspora relations. The volume highlights the transformation of the old Indian diaspora into a new ensemble in which economic, ideological and cultural forces predominate and interact closely. It looks at various themes including Indian indentured emigration to sugar colonies, comparisons between labour migration from India and China, the Girmitiya diaspora, the Indian diaspora in Africa and the rise of racial nationalism, India’s soft power in the Gulf region, and the repurposing of the ‘Hindutva’ idea of India for Western societies as undertaken by diaspora communities.

Lucid and topical, this book will be useful for scholars and researchers of diaspora studies, migration studies, political studies, international relations, globalisation, political sociology, sociology and South Asia studies.

This book critically examines new perspectives on the transformations in the Indian diaspora. It studies the changing perspectives on the historical background of the diaspora and analyses fresh and emerging views in response to new configurations in diaspora relations. The volume highlights the transformation of the old Indian diaspora into a new ensemble in which economic, ideological and cultural forces predominate and interact closely. It looks at various themes including Indian indentured emigration to sugar colonies, comparisons between labour migration from India and China, the Girmitiya diaspora, the Indian diaspora in Africa and the rise of racial nationalism, India’s soft power in the Gulf region, and the repurposing of the ‘Hindutva’ idea of India for Western societies as undertaken by diaspora communities.

Lucid and topical, this book will be useful for scholars and researchers of diaspora studies, migration studies, political studies, international relations, globalisation, political sociology, sociology and South Asia studies.

This book explores ethnogenesis, integration in host societies and bonding in the Indian diaspora of Girmitiyas – a population of over 1.3 million British-Indian indentured labourers recruited in the nineteenth and twentieth centuriesto work in plantation colonies across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Focusing on Girmitiya communities in Suriname, Guyana, Mauritius and Fiji, it examines both the similarities and divergences in their ethnic formation, integration into host societies, and diasporic bonding. Theoretically, it contributes to the underexplored but vital themes of ethnogenesis, integration and diaspora connections, highlighting variations within and across communities. It traces how ethnic identities emerged in different contexts and how these groups negotiated ties with both their adopted homelands and the wider Indian diaspora. Drawing on comparative insights, it provides a unique framework for analysing community evolution across geographic and cultural boundaries. Empirically, the book offers detailed historical accounts of the Girmitiyas in four societies, marking a significant departure from the largely single-country focus of existing literature. By presenting a comparative and transnational perspective, it moves beyond plantation narratives to situate Girmitiya communities within broader social, cultural and political histories. This volume represents a valuable contribution to the social sciences and humanities, particularly in the fields of ethnic studies, peasant studies,diaspora studies, and the analysis of plural societies.

This book explores ethnogenesis, integration in host societies and bonding in the Indian diaspora of Girmitiyas – a population of over 1.3 million British-Indian indentured labourers recruited in the nineteenth and twentieth centuriesto work in plantation colonies across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Focusing on Girmitiya communities in Suriname, Guyana, Mauritius and Fiji, it examines both the similarities and divergences in their ethnic formation, integration into host societies, and diasporic bonding. Theoretically, it contributes to the underexplored but vital themes of ethnogenesis, integration and diaspora connections, highlighting variations within and across communities. It traces how ethnic identities emerged in different contexts and how these groups negotiated ties with both their adopted homelands and the wider Indian diaspora. Drawing on comparative insights, it provides a unique framework for analysing community evolution across geographic and cultural boundaries. Empirically, the book offers detailed historical accounts of the Girmitiyas in four societies, marking a significant departure from the largely single-country focus of existing literature. By presenting a comparative and transnational perspective, it moves beyond plantation narratives to situate Girmitiya communities within broader social, cultural and political histories. This volume represents a valuable contribution to the social sciences and humanities, particularly in the fields of ethnic studies, peasant studies,diaspora studies, and the analysis of plural societies.

This book examines the Indo-Surinamese Girmitiya peasants and their contributions to developing the ethnic community within their newly adopted home. It demonstrates the transformation of the Girmitiyas from agriculturalists in British India to plantation labourers to peasants and finally to urban dwellers.

The author argues that it was the Girmitiya peasants who had made greater contributions to developing the ethnic community over the labourers of whom about one-third returned to British India. The work covers the history of how the peasants institutionalised their practice, changed the physical landscape and integrated economically and politically as an ethnic group in their newly adopted homeland. Furthermore, the author presents arguments to demonstrate that Girmitiya peasants survived the plantation labour and peasant life due to their knowledge and skills of agrarian cultivation, known as agrarian human capital. The scholarly literature about the labour migration from British India has focused heavily on the fate of the labourers. Consequently, the history of the Girmitiya peasants as well as the cultural heritage they have produced has been grossly neglected. This book purports to fill this void by telling the history of Girmitiya peasants in Suriname, a Caribbean society adjacent to former British Guyana.