Indians in the South Pacific: Recentred Diasporas

Abstract

This chapter seeks to interrogate the recentring of Indian diasporas in the South Pacific. Spaces, heritages, identities, community and family relationships have been reconfigured as they relocated to principal sites of Indian settlement in South Pacific: notably Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. In turn there has been significant movement between these spaces and a further recentring of diaspora. It sketches the massive migration from India of indentured labour to Fiji that would eventually constitute an Indo-Fijian identity. Almost a century later thousands of Indo-Fijians emigrated to Australia and New Zealand where Indo-Fijian identities were reconfigured with other South Asian communities and 'national' identities. The chapter emphasizes that this was not unidirectional but as with global Indian diasporas, embraced a continued renegotiation of identity, place and heritage. Diverse pressures lie behind migration, ranging from individual and family choices, to economic impetus, indentured labour, educational and professional opportunities to expulsion of populations. Keywords: Fiji; Indian diasporas; Indo-Fujian identity; migration; national identities; South Asian communities; South Pacific