South Asian diaspora

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A map of South Asia.

The South Asian diaspora, also known as the Desi diaspora,[1] is the group of people whose ancestral origins lie in South Asia (the Indian subcontinent), but who live outside the region.[2] There are over 44 million people in this diaspora.[3]

Names[edit]

South Asians in the diaspora are often referred to as Desis, a term embraced by many South Asians, though controversial to some.[4][5][6]

History[edit]

See also: History of emigration from India

Ancient era[edit]

See also: Kala pani (taboo)

Some South Asians lived in other parts of the world for trade purposes. During the Roman Empire, a few South Asians came to Europe.[7]

Medieval era[edit]

Romani people[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Romani people.[edit]

The Romani, also spelled Romany or Rromani ( or ) and colloquially known as the Roma (: Rom), are an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin who traditionally lived a nomadic, itinerant lifestyle. Linguistic and genetic evidence suggests that the Romani originated in the Indian subcontinent, in particular the region of present-day Rajasthan. Their subsequent westward migration, possibly in waves, is now believed by historians to have occurred around 1000 CE. Their original name is from the Sanskrit word and means a member of the Dom caste of travelling musicians and dancers. The Roma population moved west into the Ghaznavid Empire and later into the Byzantine Empire. The Roma are thought to have arrived in Europe around the 13th to 14th century. Although they are widely dispersed, their most concentrated populations are located in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Spain, and Turkey.

In the English language, Romani people have long been known by the exonym Gypsies or Gipsies, which some Roma consider a racial slur. However, this is not always the case; for example, the term is actually preferred by most English and Welsh Romanies, and is used to refer to them in government documentation. The attendees of the first World Romani Congress in 1971 unanimously voted to reject the use of all exonyms for the Romani, including "Gypsy".

Colonial era[edit]

A statue commemorating Janey Tetary, an Indian indentured servant who died in an 1884 uprising in Suriname.[8]

During the colonial era, over 1 million South Asians were taken to other parts of the world as indentured servants.[9] South Asians also were brought to parts of Southeast Asia as part of the British Empire.[10]

Diaspora members played a significant role in opposing the British Raj as part of the Ghadar Movement.

Some South Asians, mainly from Punjab, migrated to the West Coast in the United States, and mixed with the local Mexican community.[11]

Post-colonial era[edit]

South Asians have emigrated in record numbers since the end of the colonial era in the middle of the 20th century. Many South Asians migrated to the United Kingdom and participated in its post-war economic recovery.[12][13] Some South Asians went to the Middle East for labour opportunities, though some were mistreated in a racist manner and exploited.[14][15] After the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 that allowed nonwhite immigration was passed, Indian-Americans became the richest ethnic group in the United States, and comprise over 10% of the labour force in computing-related fields.[16]

Because South Asians had already dispersed across the world during the colonial era, a noted aspect of the diaspora is that some of its members' families transited through several countries over generations to reach a final destination (e.g. a person's ancestors may have come from India to Africa, and then a few generations later from Africa to New Zealand).[17]

Culture[edit]

Cinema[edit]

Some people in the diaspora watch South Asian cinema (mainly Bollywood), and some South Asian films feature diaspora characters. The Hindi-language Bollywood industry has played a significant role in uniting the diaspora around Hindi as a common language for exploring its South Asian heritage.[18] The diaspora's proficiency in English has also led to South Asian media catering to them using Hinglish, a hybrid of Hindi and English.[19]

Sport[edit]

A member of the diaspora playing cricket in Virginia, America.

South Asians introduced some of their traditional games, such as kabaddi and kho-kho, into countries like South Africa and Malaysia during the colonial era.[20][21][22] In post-colonial times, kabaddi and kho-kho have been brought by the diaspora to some of the Western countries,[23][24][25] with kabaddi used in some contexts to show masculinity in hostile environments.[26]

Cricket has been patronised by the diaspora in North America and the Middle East,[27] with the American Major League Cricket mainly targeting the diaspora audience.[28][29][30]

Music[edit]

See also: Asian Underground, Chutney parang, and Desi hip hop

Desi pubs[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Desi pub.[edit]
Desi pub is a colloquial term used in the United Kingdom to describe a public house which is owned or managed by a landlord of Indian origin. These establishments generally serve Punjabi food while maintaining elements of the traditional British pub, such as ale and pub games. The concept of the Desi pub originated during the 1960s following widespread migration from the Indian subcontinent to the UK. Desi pubs have been cited as a successful example of cultural integration between Asian and British communities.

Community relations[edit]

Deepavali (Diwali) celebrated in Little India, Singapore.

Within the diaspora[edit]

South Asian diasporas represent a wide variety of linguistic, cultural, ethnic, and religious groups from across the subcontinent.[31] There are sometimes tensions between these different groups within the diaspora. For example, the Hindu-Muslim tensions created by the 1947 Partition of India sometimes manifest themselves in divisions among Hindus and Muslims in the diaspora, particularly between those of Indian descent and those of Pakistani or Bangladeshi descent.[32][33] These tensions have been noted more frequently among the diaspora in the United Kingdom since incidents such as the Babri Masjid demolition and the 2014 election of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India.[34][35][36]

Discrimination based on the caste system occurs to some extent primarily within the Hindu diaspora; in America, a non-scientific survey showed 67% of lower-caste Dalits had experienced caste discrimination in the workplace,[37] and in California, there was heated debate within the diaspora as to whether to pass legislation explicitly banning caste discrimination.[38]

The diaspora and South Asia[edit]

Diaspora communities have been noted for providing crucial economic support and remittances to countries within South Asia.[39] India has issued diaspora bonds in certain crisis situations, such as the 1991 Indian economic crisis,[40] and has given increasing priority to involving its diaspora.[41] Diaspora graduates from MIT played a significant role in establishing the Indian Institutes of Technology.[42]

Tensions have occurred between South Asian countries and their diasporas over support for separatist movements, as in the case of India and its Punjabi diaspora over the Khalistan movement.[39] These tensions have sometimes boiled over to harming relations between South Asian countries and the host countries of the diaspora, as with the 2023 Canada-India diplomatic row.[43]

The diaspora and its host countries[edit]

See also: Stereotypes of South Asians

The Hindu diaspora has come under some scrutiny in its host countries for playing an increasingly significant role in promoting Hindu nationalism, with some diaspora members disapproving of the scrutiny and opposing Hindu nationalism.[44][45][46][47]

Some Punjabis have joined gangs in recent decades in Canada.[48]

In popular culture[edit]

North America[edit]

Russell Peters, a famous Indo-Canadian comedian.

In the United States, representation of the South Asian diaspora has steadily increased; in previous decades, Apu of The Simpsons had been the most prominent South Asian representation, but now there is significantly more varied representation, with comedians like Hasan Minhaj achieving success.[49]

Video games[edit]

Venba is a video game that depicts themes of Tamil-Canadian immigration by exploring Tamil cuisine.[50]

Thirsty Suitors explores romantic relationships involving a South Asian American protagonist.[51]

See also[edit]

South Asian sub-diasporas[edit]

Other topics[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Desi Diaspora: Politics, Protest, and Nationalism". academic.oup.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  2. ^ Rai, Rajesh; Reeves, Peter (2008-07-25). The South Asian Diaspora: Transnational Networks and Changing Identities. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-10595-3.
  3. ^ Shah, Muhammad Hamza; Roy, Sakshi; Ahluwalia, Arjun (2023). "Time to address the mental health challenges of the South Asian diaspora". The Lancet Psychiatry. 10 (6): 381–382. doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(23)00144-x. ISSN 2215-0366.
  4. ^ Khanduri, Ritu Gairola (2 October 2014). Caricaturing Culture in India: Cartoons and History in the Modern World. Cambridge University Press. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-107-04332-9.
  5. ^ "What term best describes those from the Indian subcontinent? It depends on who you ask". NBC News. 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  6. ^ Sircar, Anisha (2020-12-08). "Is the term 'Desi' offensive? Some South Asian Americans think so". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  7. ^ Kaur, Raminder (2011). "'Ancient cosmopolitanism' and the South Asian diaspora". South Asian Diaspora. 3 (2): 197–213. doi:10.1080/19438192.2011.579458. ISSN 1943-8192.
  8. ^ "Suriname verwijdert buste koloniale tijd". www.nd.nl (in Dutch). 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  9. ^ Bose, Neilesh (2020-12-10). South Asian Migrations in Global History: Labor, Law, and Wayward Lives. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-12468-4.
  10. ^ Clarke, Colin; Peach, Ceri; Vertovec, Steven (1990-10-26). South Asians Overseas: Migration and Ethnicity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-37543-6.
  11. ^ Seller, Maxine S.; Weis, Lois (1997-03-13). Beyond Black and White: New Faces and Voices in U.S. Schools. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-1942-8.
  12. ^ Ballard, Roger (2003), "The South Asian presence in Britain and its transnational connections", Culture and Economy in the Indian Diaspora, Routledge, pp. 209–234, doi:10.4324/9780203398296-15, ISBN 978-0-203-39829-6, retrieved 2023-11-03
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  18. ^ Chatterji, Joya; Washbrook, David (2014-01-03). Routledge Handbook of the South Asian Diaspora. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-01824-4.
  19. ^ Kothari, Rita; Snell, Rupert (2011). Chutnefying English: The Phenomenon of Hinglish. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-341639-5.
  20. ^ Mahabir, Dr Kumar. "Disappearing Ancient Games In The Caribbean". Academia.
  21. ^ Department of Sport and Recreation - Annual Report 2007-2008 https://www.kzndsr.gov.za/
  22. ^ Desk, NewsonRadar (2023-10-04). "Asian Games: Indian connect in Malaysia's men's kabaddi team". News On Radar. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  23. ^ "Take my breath away — A kabaddi story". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  24. ^ DHNS. "Kabaddi is now cool sport, thanks to Bollywood, corporates". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  25. ^ "British Indians fall in love with 'Kho Kho', reconnect with roots". The Indian Express. 2017-01-30. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  26. ^ Kukreja, Reena (2023-03-16). "Using indigenous sport as resistance against migrant exclusion: Kabaddi and South Asian male migrants in Greece". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 49 (5): 1173–1190. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2022.2036954. ISSN 1369-183X.
  27. ^ KANCHANA, RADHIKA (2020-06-29). "Cricket, an oddity in the Arab-Gulf lands or a mirror of an enduring South Asian diaspora?". Revista de Estudios Internacionales Mediterráneos (28): 121–135. doi:10.15366/reim2020.28.007. ISSN 1887-4460.
  28. ^ Khan, Yusuf. "Major League Cricket Is Here—in a Minor-League Baseball Stadium". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  29. ^ Kasi, Brashna (2023-08-01). "MLC: Cricket breaks new ground as America's South Asian diaspora gets a taste of T20 extravaganza". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  30. ^ "Media Companies Eye Cricket-Loving Diaspora in the U.S." The New York Times.
  31. ^ Jacobsen, Knut A.; Kumar, Pratap (2018-08-14). South Asians in the Diaspora: Histories and Religious Traditions. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-474-0140-7.
  32. ^ Mohammad-Arif, Aminah; Moliner, Christine (2007-10-16). "Introduction. Migration and Constructions of the Other: Inter-Communal Relationships amongst South Asian Diasporas". South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal (1). doi:10.4000/samaj.136. ISSN 1960-6060.
  33. ^ Mohammad-Arif, Aminah (2007-10-16). "The Paradox of Religion: The (re)Construction of Hindu and Muslim Identities amongst South Asian Diasporas in the United States". South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal (1). doi:10.4000/samaj.55. ISSN 1960-6060.
  34. ^ Burlet, Stacey; Reid, Helen (1995). "Cooperation and conflict: The South Asian diaspora after Ayodhya". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 21 (4): 587–597. doi:10.1080/1369183X.1995.9976514. ISSN 1369-183X.
  35. ^ "Leicester: Why the violent unrest was surprising to many". BBC News. 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  36. ^ Murray, Jessica; Khan, Aina J.; Syal, Rajeev (2022-09-23). "'It feels like people want to fight': how communal unrest flared in Leicester". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  37. ^ "Even in the US, South Asians say caste has proved hard to escape". CNN. 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  38. ^ Clayton, Abené (2023-10-08). "Ban on caste discrimination deemed 'unnecessary' by California governor". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  39. ^ a b Talbot, Ian (2016-01-01). A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-19694-8.
  40. ^ "Finance and Development". Finance and Development | F&D. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  41. ^ Kahali, Aloke (2017-11-05). "Diaspora engagement: need for paradigm shift – Indian perspective". Diaspora Studies. 10 (1): 1–24. doi:10.1080/09739572.2016.1239432. ISSN 0973-9572.
  42. ^ "Uncovering the rich connections between South Asia and MIT". MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  43. ^ Sen, Somdeep. "India wants to take on Trudeau. It's taking down its own diaspora". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  44. ^ "Hindu nationalist surge in India creating fissures in diaspora". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  45. ^ "India must stop spreading Hindu nationalism to its global diaspora". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  46. ^ "20. The Diaspora and Hindu Nationalism", Hindu Nationalism, Princeton University Press, 2009-01-10, pp. 361–369, doi:10.1515/9781400828036.361, ISBN 978-1-4008-2803-6, retrieved 2023-11-07
  47. ^ Deuskar, Nachiket (2023-05-16). "Hindutva is increasingly influencing the Hindu diaspora – and extending Indian politics overseas". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  48. ^ "After Moosewala's murder, spotlight back on (Punjabi) gangs of Canada". The Indian Express. 2022-06-26. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  49. ^ Mahdawi, Arwa (2017-05-09). "From Apu to Master of None: how US pop culture tuned into the south Asian experience". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  50. ^ "Venba: A video game about a South Indian immigrant's story one recipe at a time". The Indian Express. 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  51. ^ "Video Games Are Lagging Behind In South Asian Representation". GameSpot. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
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