Subaltern Success Stories: Socio-Economic Mobility in the Indian Labour Diaspora - Some Mauritian Case Studies

Abstract

Indian indentured labour migrants to the 19th century tropical sugar colonies became symbols of degradation and discrimination, while the stigma and stereotypes of the 'coolie" remain to blight this important facet of the historical Indian diaspora. This paper challenges misconceptions of indentured migration, through an analysis of the dynamics of socio-economic mobility of coolies and their offspring, demonstrating how, in certain cases, individuals characterised as neo-slaves in the literature, in fact acquired capital during and post-indenture which enabled them to become prosperous landowners themselves and to provide the means through which their children could acquire professional status. The article provides several case studies from Mauritius, where the descendants of Indian indentured labourers today form a majority of the population, and have held key positions in government since that country's independence in 1968.