South Asia, migration 1850-1970s

Abstract

Indian migration to British territories in Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the late 19th century corresponded with the expanding Atlantic economy and with world processes relating to the region's past and present narratives. Initial labor migration flows to Malaya and Sumatra (Benkulen) were linked to earlier British trading networks in the Indian Ocean and the transportation of convict labor to the English East India Company factories there. Following South Asia's incorporation into the British empire, there was increasing integration of global Indian migration flows associated with the engagement of distinct labor groups for Britain's far-flung colonies across the Indian Ocean, westward toward Africa and eastward toward East and Southeast Asia. India essentially provided laborers for plantation capitalism and the production of commodities of empire (foodstuffs, stimulants, and industrial crops); for industrial, port, and shipping systems; and for public sector projects. Workers in the third group constructed railways and roads to connect townships with production areas which led to the transformation of economies. The Indians were hired under various mechanisms and had a range of freedoms and mobility that impacted on their occupational choices and settlement patterns in the host countries. The size and composition of a particular migrant group and the migrants' specific economic role in the host society had significant consequences for their relationships with host populations. Crucially, South Asians were not only colonized; they also served as auxiliaries in the British empire and assisted in the pacification and policing of British territories.