Gujarati Communities Across The Globe: Memory, Identity and Continuity

Gujaratis are the subject of this unique diasporic study. They live in almost every major city in the world: some are in India; some emigrated directly to their new countries of residence; others took a route to their new homeland via East Africa, facing expulsion and forced migration along the way. The suffering, hard work and tenacity of the Gujarati community are generally overlooked; in most descriptions, emphasis is placed on the financial gain, educational attainment and upward mobility of this community.

The ethnographic accounts in this volume are real lives which frame these narratives in a specific context and are part of a rich historical memory. What defines a Gujarati? Is it language, culture, geography, tradition, religion, all of these?or simply a tie that binds an individual to their ancestors and the land from which they originated?

Gujarati Communities Across the Globe is the first study to offer insight into the everyday lives and evolving identities negotiated by Gujaratis in a global context: in India, North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, East Africa and South Asia. Its orientation around the themes of nationalism, migration, new ethnicities, language and religion makes it an essential resource for students of South Asian studies, religious studies, the sociology of religion, social anthropology, diasporic studies, cultural and ethnic studies. It will also interest those who wish to understand how identities of a diasporic and post-diasporic community can be strengthened despite moving away from one’s original roots.