Sikh Migration and Settlement in Southeast Asia, 1870s-1950s: Social Transformations, Homeland, and Identity

Abstract

Sikh migration and settlement in Southeast Asia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was a consequence of European imperialism and the British-sponsored deployment of Sikh auxiliary forces (troops and soldiery) in British-held territories in the region. The movement of Sikhs during this period corresponded with the mass proletarian migration of Indians and Chinese to the region, which was a defining feature of Asian globalization. Sikh migration was a voluntary movement and the Sikhs went from sub-imperial British India predominantly to Malaya and Burma, the two major British territories. Following the successful colonization of these territories, Sikh auxiliaries either returned to India or were absorbed in the newly created civilian police forces in the colonial territories. This male migration corridor was also utilized by independent Sikhs who sought employment either in the locally recruited police forces and subordinate government occupations, or worked as traders and dairy farmers. The Sikh auxiliary forces took the initiative for maintaining family and community stability and campaigned for family reunion and housing, a strategy that resulted in the development of distinct Sikh communities replete with Sikh cultural and religious institutions. These nascent Sikh communities in turn facilitated successive Sikh migration and the enlargement of the Sikh population in the territories.