Cosmopolitan Connections: The Sindhi Diaspora, 1860-2000

This volume looks at Hindu Sindhis-a diasporic group of Indian traders. The province of Sind is in present-day Pakistan, and Hindu Sindhis who have migrated are renowned around the world and especially in India for their business acumen. Exploring the relation between mobility and commerce, the volume fundamentally enhances our knowledge and understanding of this highly entrepreneurial group. It argues that the defining characteristics of sindhis are their ability to adapt to a variety of contexts and cultures, as also a constant cultivation among themselves of contacts, knowledge, and relationships. The volume draws on anthropological field research as well as archival sources in Mumbai, London, and Malta to portray a cosmopolitan group united by ties of kinship and community. These ties have their counterpart in the economic sphere which is characterized by sets of translocal trading linkages, credit relations, and a heightened knowledge of market and the readiness to explore them. Written in a jargon-free style and geared towards a broad audience, the volume will be of special interest to sociologists and social anthrologists, historians, scholars and researchers in business studies, migration studies, and demographic movement.