Problematics of Indian Immigrants
Contents: Preface. Our contributors. 1. Introduction. 2. Diaspora : an emerging area of interdisciplinary studies/M.R. Gosai. 3. Skikhs in Thailand/Surendra K. Gupta. 4. Social construction of identity in a multicultural state: Sikhs in Canada/Paramjit S. Judge. 5. Transnational networks among Indian communities abroad: some reflections on Punjabi diaspora/Ajay Kumar Sahoo. 6. Women’s work and status enhancement : a study of Punjabi immigrant women in Canada/Gurpreet Bal. 7. Status of NRI women in family: Continuity and change in partriarchy/Neena Rosey Kahlon and Parminder Kahlon. 8. Issues of vulnerability and identity: immigrants of Indian origin in East Africa/Mala Kapur Shankardass. 9. Socio-economic aspects of Indian immigrants in United States and Canada: implications and future directions/Falendra K. Sudan and Gopi Puri. 10. Diaspora and motherland: explorations into role of Indo-Canadians in India’s welfare programmes/Prakash C. Jain. 11. Indian emigration to Persian Gulf: an inquiry into the early phase (1950-1975) of unskilled labour flow from Kerala and its socio-economic impact/T.V. Sekhar. 12. The diaspora: a conceptual paradigm/Harpeet Kaur. 13. Marginality and literary/critical canon/Paramjit Singh Ramana. 14. Problematics of immigrant Punjabi literature/Harchand Singh Bedi. 15. Presentation of human relationships in the stories of Parvez Sandhu and Santokh Dhaliwal/N.K. Neb. Bibliography. Index.
Today there are over 20 million people of Indian origin spread over hundred and thirty-eight countries. They speak different languages and have different vocations and professions but what gives them a commonalty of identity is consciousness of their Indian origin, cultural heritage and a deep attachment to India. They are known for their resilience and hard work. Overcoming overwhelming odds of deprivation and racial, economic and political discrimination, they have done well economically and politically often becoming a cause of envy. Some argue that their inability to integrate into the society of their adopted lands and their attachment to their cultural and religious traditions has proved to be a stumbling block. On the other hand, this has also been their strength because it has given them the value system to be honest to their adopted countries.
The study of Indian immigrants has emerged as an important branch of knowledge in recent years. Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar has established a centre for Immigrant Studies in 2002. As we know, Punjab is one of the prominent States of India from where a large number of people have emigrated to different lands and settled in diverse administrative regimes, culture and work places. The centre has been especially interested in the research work and literary output in immigrant studies with an emphasis on socio-cultural, economic and psychological concerns.
With a view to fill in this lacune we made requests for articles broadly on the coping strategies of cultural diffusion, impact globalization on Indian community, future of immigrants in the twenty-first century and role of immigrant women in the western society.
Today there are over 20 million people of Indian origin spread over hundred and thirty-eight countries. They speak different languages and have different vocations and professions but what gives them a commonalty of identity is consciousness of their Indian origin, cultural heritage and a deep attachment to India. They are known for their resilience and hard work. Overcoming overwhelming odds of deprivation and racial, economic and political discrimination, they have done well economically and politically often becoming a cause of envy. Some argue that their inability to integrate into the society of their adopted lands and their attachment to their cultural and religious traditions has proved to be a stumbling block. On the other hand, this has also been their strength because it has given them the value system to be honest to their adopted countries.
The study of Indian immigrants has emerged as an important branch of knowledge in recent years. Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar has established a centre for Immigrant Studies in 2002. As we know, Punjab is one of the prominent States of India from where a large number of people have emigrated to different lands and settled in diverse administrative regimes, culture and work places. The centre has been especially interested in the research work and literary output in immigrant studies with an emphasis on socio-cultural, economic and psychological concerns.
With a view to fill in this lacune we made requests for articles broadly on the coping strategies of cultural diffusion, impact globalization on Indian community, future of immigrants in the twenty-first century and role of immigrant women in the western society.
