Mapping Migration

This edited collection examines culture and identity in Indian diaspora communities in Southeast Asia, and the UK. Using methodologies such as transnational and diaspora studies, history, autoethnography and family histories, the contributions here explore the movements of people from the Indian subcontinent across generations to a wide range of countries. Cultural practices including the use of performance, food, rituals, religion, education, employment, and names demonstrate how identities and practices are preserved, as well as adapted, in new contexts. This offers original insights into transnational movements of people, and how culture becomes a major part in the formation of a diaspora. The focus on Southeast Asia creates new knowledge by shifting the theoretical focus towards a region that shows great multiplicity in Indian migrant populations over a considerable period of time, but which has remained under-researched. The chapters on the UK act as a counterpoint to this, and contribute to the complex picture of shifting borders and practices across nations and generations.