Beyond the Metros

Beyond the Metros: Anglo-Indians in India's Smaller Towns and Cities focuses on Anglo-Indians residing in a number of small towns and cities, away from the metropolitan centres of modern India, such as Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. It provides a socio-historical account of what it means to be an Anglo-Indian in cultural and materially varied environments, highlighting the impact on the formation of identities. The towns and cities can be grouped into three categories: railway towns such as Kharagpur, Asansol, Jhansi, Jabalpur and Secunderabad; the hill stations of Ranchi and Dehradun; and the port cities of Cochin, Pondicherry and Goa. Some of these towns were closely associated with traditional occupations for Anglo-Indians, although in recent years the structures of their economies have changed, differentially affecting the lives of their resident Anglo-Indian communities.

The researchers in this volume highlight the concept of diversity in the lived experiences, aspirations, memories and sense of identity within this community. They question the methodology of looking at minority communities as homogenized and ethnicized categories. The book demonstrates the importance of place as a crucial variable in the social histories of communities. In addition, it interrogates both the received scholarly wisdom as well as exoticized popular stereotypes by looking closely at Anglo-Indian lives and perceptions.