Kaleidoscopic Ethnicity

This book is based on ethnographic research on three prominent communities of Kerala–Ezhava Hindu, Mappila Muslim and Syrian Christian–members of which migrated to West Asia in search of better jobs and livelihoods. The author explores the factors responsible for the striking differences between the communities in their patterns of migration and the resultant social change. ‘Kurien shows that in each of these three communities, their different ethnicities influenced patterns of Gulf migration and how outcomes of migration in turn affected ethnic identity. The volume contributes to our understanding of both modern Kerala and of ethnicity as a concept for comprehending social identity in the modern world. The religious background of the three communities determined their social location within colonial and post-colonial Kerala. This in turn affected their occupational profiles, family structures and social networks, as well as their conceptions of gender and status, and was thus fundamental in shaping migration patterns. The rapid improvement in the socio-economic status brought about by international migration resulted in a reinterpretation of religious identity and practice. This was manifest in the changes in patterns of gendered behaviour and status in each of the three communities.