The diaspora have become a major player in the transnational world and are fast emerging as one of the forces for development. A community, which is all desired, doubted, feared and questioned, has also become a major source of remittances, FDI, philanthropy, tourism, knowledge networks, and new cultural attitudes for many countries. This has led to the problematic construction of the subject and has made it a trope in the policy and scholarly studies. As far as India is concerned, the term diaspora is comparatively a new application. The invaluable contribution of the Indian diaspora was completely ignored by the Indian policymakers and scholars for a very long time. India has been caught by the new global trend and is trying to shape its diasporic thinking to develop a symbiotic relationship with its diaspora. Thus there has been a flood of literature and upcoming diaspora studies centres in the recent times. The volume under review has originated to mark the first decade of the Center for Study of Indian diaspora, Hyderabad and is a collection papers covering diverse areas.
It has four sections. Although the division of papers within these sections is not clear-cut, the taxonomy is no doubt interesting. The first two sections discuss the geographical dispersion of the Indian diaspora. Section 1, ?A New Form of slavery: Indentured diaspora? discusses the various forms of migration during the colonial period and its social, political and economic production.
Section 2, New Indian diaspora, focuses on the new Indian diaspora to the Western world, taking the context of globalisation and its role in redefining India?s image internationally. The next two sections deal with the associational activities. Section 3, the ?Doing diaspora: Identifications?, explores the particularistic identities within the Indian diaspora thereby highlighting the multiplicity within it.
Section 4, called the ?Representations: Contestations of/in the diaspora?, takes as its central theme the role of media in establishing connectivity with the homeland and among the various diaspora. It also highlights how media produces subjectivity both among the authors and the audiences. All the chapters touch upon the theory part of the various issues they have dealt with.
The book appears to be a reflection of the dilemma faced by the diaspora studies programme, which is still in the stage of evolution. And that is the problem of including a whole range of issues under one head. Even if we talk about a multidisciplinary approach the range appears to be a bit extensive as the issues are excessively diverse. For example, very often in a single seminar one is faced with one paper on the role of remittances in the economy of the sending countries, the other covering social construction of the Indo-Fijian society and yet another on the sense of longing in the writings of some diasporic writer, giving a kind of a scattered and hodgepodge look to the whole discussion.
However, what makes this book different is the presence of an introduction or a connecting chapter before every section, which provides a rhythm and connectivity to the whole book and doesn?t make the change and the assortment, appear to be abrupt.
The volume is an assemblage and not a narrative that highlights the multiplicity of the Indian diaspora. It addresses many questions and also leaves many questions open to explore, dialogue and critique.
The reviewer is Visiting Fellow, Institute for Studies in Industrial Development