Beyond Indenture: Agency and Resistance in the Colonial South Asian Diaspora

Beyond Indenture brings together original essays by a mix of experienced and upcoming scholars. They reflect, as far as possible, the viewpoints and voices of indentured Indians who exercised agency, resisted and manipulated the colonial labour system to their advantage, and went on to build new lives for themselves overseas following the expiry of their contracts. Some remigrated to other colonies to earn a better wage and escape from debt and other burdens. Among those who chose to remain, women played a prominent role in the struggle for rights, freedom and opportunities, achieving them in ways which often defied or redefined South Asian customs and traditions. Alongside the migrant labourers, 'passenger Indians' made their way to the sugar, tea and rubber colonies, and became clerks, teachers and shopkeepers. After independence, the Indian communities overseas faced newer problems, not least of which were discrimination and marginalisation. Some were forced to return home. Others built upon the experience of struggles in the colonial era to collectively mobilise. Another theme explored is that of the broad alliances of diasporic Indians and Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants who have been recently enabled by the internet to connect with each other and to reconnect with the countries from which they originated.

《超越契約》匯集了一系列由經驗豐富和新進學者撰寫的原創文章。這些文章盡可能反映了印度受契約束縛的人們的觀點和聲音，他們行使主動權，抵抗並操縱殖民地勞工體系以獲得利益，在合約到期後在海外建立新生活。一些人返回其他殖民地以獲得更好的工資，擺脫債務和其他負擔。在選擇留下的人中，女性在爭取權利、自由和機會的鬥爭中發揮了重要作用，通常以違反或重新定義南亞習俗和傳統的方式實現這些目標。除了移民勞工外，“乘客印度人”也前往糖、茶和橡膠殖民地，成為文員、教師和店主。獨立後，海外印度社區面臨著新的問題，其中包括歧視和邊緣化。一些人被迫返回家鄉，其他人則在殖民時代的鬥爭經驗基礎上進行集體動員。另一個探討的主題是印度、巴基斯坦和孟加拉國移民之間的廣泛聯盟，他們最近通過互聯網得以相互聯繫，並重新與他們的原籍國連接起來。