The Bhojpuri Diaspora

Abstract

Acculturation is an important research topic for cultural anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists. Research on acculturation has on average a very limited time scope, focusing on the “here and now”. Another shortcoming in current acculturation research is the lack of comparison between immigrant groups, particularly between those originating from the same country. In this article I will outline why the Bhojpuri diaspora provides a promising field for interdisciplinary comparative acculturation research. India has a long tradition of emigration. In the first millennium CE predominantly members of high castes migrated to East Asia mainly for religious reasons. A second substantial migratory flow from India, particularly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (the Bhojpuri region) started after the abolition of slavery in the British colonies in 1834. Indians migrating as indentured labourers from the Bhojpuri region to the West Indies, British Guiana and Dutch Surinam has similar socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Many east Indians migrated to England and the Netherlands when the West Indies and Guianas became independent states after the Second World War. I conclude with giving some examples of comparative research that have already been carried out on the Bhojpuri diaspora.

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