Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The article seeks to explore the contestations about the identity of the Sidis of Gujarat, which is deeply imbricated with experiences of marginalisation and victimisation. Given their African origins, the Sidis are categorised as a diaspora even as they have endeavoured to assert their Schedule Tribe (ST) status in India (a status which so far is segmentally conferred). The association with the diaspora has perpetuated a policy of isolation towards the Sidis and the perception of them as ‘outsiders’. Their aspiration to be identified as ST has been to shift the focus from their diasporic identity and to overcome their historical marginalisation. In this context, the article explores the questions of who the Sidis are, whether are they a diaspora or a tribal community, what ST status means to them, and whether the ST status will aid them in transcending the structural barriers that hinder their integration.

Keywords

Diaspora discrimination identity marginalisation otherisation tribe

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alpers

E. A.

(2004). Africans in India and the wider context of the Indian Ocean. In Jairazbhoy

A. C.

& Alpers

E. A.

(Eds.), Sidis and scholars: Essays on African Indians (pp. 27–41). Rainbow Publishers.

Arora

(2007). Assertive identities, indigeneity, and the politics of recognition as a tribe: The Bhutias, the Lepchas and the Limbus of Sikkim. Sociological Bulletin, 56(2), 195–220.

Baruah

(2008). Territoriality, indigeneity and rights in the North-East India. Economic & Political Weekly, 23(12/1), 15–19.

Cohen

(2008). Global diasporas: An introduction (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203928943

Jairazbhoy

A. C.

, & Alpers

E. A.

(2004). Introduction. In Jairazbhoy

A. C.

& Alpers

E. A.

(Eds.), Sidis and scholars: Essays on African Indians (pp. 1–25). Rainbow Publishers.

Kenoyer

J. M.

, & Bhan

K. K.

(2004). Sidis and the agate bead industry of Western India. In Jairazbhoy

A. C.

& Alpers

E. A.

(Eds.), Sidis and scholars: Essays on African Indians (pp. 42–61). Rainbow Publishers.

Meier

P. S.

(2004). Per/forming African identities: Sidi communities in the transnational moment. In Jairazbhoy

A. C.

& Alpers

E. A.

(Eds.), Sidis and dcholars: Essays on African Indians (pp. 86–99). Rainbow Publishers.

Obeng

J. P.

(2007). Shaping membership, defining nation: The cultural politics of African Indians in South Asia. Lexington Books.

Oonk

(2007). IIAS publication series: Global Indian diasporas: Exploring trajectories of migration and theory. Amsterdam University Press.

10.

Safran

(1991). Diasporas in modern societies: Myths of homeland and return. Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies, 1(1), 83–99. https://doi.org/10.3138/diaspora.1.1.83

11.

Schendel

W. V.

(2011). The dangers of belonging: Tribes, indigenous peoples, and homelands in South Asia. In Rycroft

D. J.

& Dasgupta

(Eds.), The politics of belonging in India: Becoming Adivasi (pp. 19–43). Routledge.

12.

Sharma

D. P.

(2015). Demand of ‘Tea Tribes’ for Scheduled Tribe status in Assam: A review. In Goswami

(Ed.), Troubled diversity: The political process in Northeast India (pp. 104–121). Oxford University Press.

13.

Wink

(1990). Al-Hind: The making of the Indo-Islamic World (vol. 1). Oxford University Press.

14.

Xaxa

(1999). Transformation of tribes in India: Terms of discourse. Economic & Political Weekly, 34(24), 1519–1524.

Contesting Identities: The Case of Sidis of Gujarat

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References