Indians and the antipodes: networks, boundaries, and circulation

In: Oxford scholarship online

Abstract

Indians now constitute a significant ethnic minority in Australia and New Zealand. According to the most recent census figures, they number slightly more than half a million, but represent a successful ethnic community making significant contributions to their host societies and economies. The histories of their migration go back to the early colonial period, but rarely do they find any space in the global literature on Indian diaspora, probably because of their small numbers. This text covers their history over the past 250 years, covering both the 'old' and the 'new' diaspora; the first group consisting of the labourers who migrated under pressure of colonial capital, and the second group representing the post-war professional migrants