South Asian Labour, Migration and Diaspora, c. 1720-1970

Abstract

Patterns of migration and forms of labour have caused a growing academic interest during the last couple of years, shedding light on the history of South Asia from a different angle. The new approach responds to the current globalisation process and tries to seek its historical roots. The emerging local and global labour markets of the 19th and 20th centuries set different kinds of mobility in motion, ranging from forced to voluntary and temporary or permanent migration. Whilst academic research has hitherto concentrated on the destination of the migrants, recent investigation focuses upon the point of departure. The colonial Jabour market transformed traditional forms of 'bonded' Jabour into legal contracts. However, besides contract Jabour we also find all sorts of controlled labour within the Indian diaspora of the British Empire, from slavery and servitude to indentured and wage Jabour. These dynamics of labour and migration characterized the British colonial system.