This volume examines the history, politics and anthropology of migration in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as in numerous overseas locations (such as Fiji, Africa, the Caribbean and North America) where South Asians migrated during and after the colonial period. It addresses the meanings of ‘community’, and the important and contentious issue of the connections between migration, problems of identity, and ethnic conflict, from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective. While addressing the role of colonial policies of ‘divide and rule’ in providing both solidarities and discord, the volume depicts the very different circumstances in which contemporary South Asian migrants now find themselves, placing particular emphasis on the ways in which migrants have adapted and integrated (whilst maintaining cultural traditions) and the ways in which new forms of ‘post-colonial’ identity have emerged. Above all, the volume questions the historical origins of communal conflicts and the extent to which they are a response to present-day circumstances. The volume clearly argues that there are many forms of religious, regional and caste identities amongst South Asian migrants, which need not find themselves in conflict with one another or the host societies. When confrontation does arise, it is often due to inequalities, competition and officially-sponsored apartheid. Whilst some examples warn against complacency, the overall conclusion of the volume is optimistic in celebrating the agency and volition of migrants, their ability to adapt—despite adversity—and to assert new and often unexpected identities independent of their forefathers and the prejudices of others. The volume has particular significance in the light of recent conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Indian Ocean, Fiji, Indonesia, North America and elsewhere amongst diasporic South Asian communities.
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