Language and Identity in an Indian Diaspora: "Multiculturalism" and Ethno-linguistic Communities in Mauritius

Abstract

Mauritians of Indian origin represent a highly diverse group, and consider themselves to be divided into separate ethno-linguistic communities despite the fact that they all share a common vernacular language. The article analyzes how ideas of "ancestral languages" have played a crucial role in the fragmentation of the Indian community of Mauritius by creating new diasporic group solidarities oriented towards different "homelands" in South Asia. The case presented here not only illustrates contemporary trends in Indian diasporic cultures, but also provides an alternative to previous approaches addressing the problem of language and community formation. Languages of diasporic allegiance do not provide a channel of communication through which group solidarity can be spread and community mobilization effected. Instead, notions of diasporic group identity among lndoMauritians are mediated by ideologies of"ancestral languages".