Women in the Indian Diaspora: Historical Narratives and Contemporary Challenges

Book Details:

• Editor: Amba Pande

• Publisher: Springer

• Language: English

• Edition: 2021

• ISBN: 9789811539817

• Pages: 214

• Cover: Hardback

• Sale Territory: India Only

About the Book

This volume explores critical and emerging issues concerning women in the Indian diaspora through multidisciplinary lenses—social, economic, cultural, and political. Women’s migration journeys differ significantly from those of men, shaped by unique challenges during both displacement and settlement. Navigating life between homeland and host country, diasporic women often confront tensions between freedom and subjugation, using this transitional space to assert independence and reshape gender roles.

Focusing on women’s agency, the essays delve into how diasporic women challenge patriarchal structures, reconfigure familial responsibilities, adapt to new educational and professional environments, and negotiate cultural identity in foreign institutional frameworks. The collection is divided into four thematic parts:

• Part I: Theoretical Frameworks and Identity Politics
  Investigates gendered narratives and identity construction through literature and sociopolitical analysis.

• Part II: Historical Narratives of Indenture
  Revisits the histories of indentured women in regions like the Caribbean, examining metaphors like Sita from the Ramayana and tracing pathways from subjugation to autonomy.

• Part III: Contemporary Challenges
  Examines real-life accounts of Indian women in the U.S., Netherlands, and other regions, analyzing employment, entrepreneurship, and identity dynamics.

• Part IV: Diaspora Across Continents
  Highlights gender and cultural issues in South Africa, Canada, and Anglo-Indian diasporas, offering a broader global context.

With contributions from renowned scholars, this book centers the voices and experiences of Indian diasporic women—making it an essential reference for academics, researchers, and policy makers interested in migration, gender studies, and cultural identity.