Contents: Foreword. Introduction. The Context: I. The Indian Context: 1. India as 'Homeland'. 2. The land. 3. Historic India. 4. Modern India: colonial rule and its effects. 5. The development of nationalism. 6. Divided nation. 7. Independence and partition. 8. The Indian Union since 1950. II. Age of Merchants: 1. Indian maritime communities. 2. The Indian Caravan trade. 3. The Haj Before 1800. 4. Indian Slavery, Labour migration and the export of skills. III. The age of colonial capital: 1. Convict migration. 2. The indenture system. 3. The Kangani and Maistry Systems. 4. Free migration. 5. Trading networks in Southeast Asia. IV. The age of globalisation: 1. Post-war migration. 2. The migration of professionals. 3. Remittances. 4. Business and entrepreneurship. V. India leadership and the Diaspora: 1. Nationalist India: forging 'An emotional bond'. 2. Disengaging from the Diaspora. 3. Coming full circle. VI. Life in the Diaspora: 1. Language. 2. Religious traditions in the Diaspora. 3. Popular culture. 4. Cuisine. 5. Sport around the Indian Diaspora. VII. Voices from the Diaspora: 1. The old plantation Diaspora of classic capital. 2. The new Indian Diaspora of late capital. 3. A 'Minor' literature. The communities: VIII. Regions and communities: 1. South Asia. 2. Southeast Asia. 3. East Asia. 4. Central Asia. 5. Middle east. 6. Africa and the Indian ocean. 7. The Caribbean and South America. 8. North America. 9. Europe. 10. Australasia and Oceania. Acknowledgements. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. "The Encyclopedia of the Indian Diaspora is the first comprehensive survey of Indian communities around the world. Over 30 contextual features show the initiatives taken by these communities and the contributions they have made both internationally and to their host societies, in areas as diverse as literature, cuisine, popular culture, sports and political life. The greater part of the book consists of 44 country/region profiles covering all parts of the world. Written by over 60 scholars from across the globe, most of whom are from the Diaspora, the encyclopedia provides insights into the experiences of a people about whom much is often assumed but little is actually known. The recent expansion of the Indian Diaspora, now some 20-million strong and growing, is a social transformation of global significance. Many members of the Diaspora have reached the highest levels of global commerce and trade, international public services and diplomacy, the professions and academia. In addition, the creative literature from and about the Diaspora holds a distinctive and distinguished place in the world's literary imagination. Written in an accessible style and illustrated with hundreds of photographs, documents and maps, The Encyclopedia of the Indian Diaspora is at once a work of profound scholarship as well as a reference work which will appeal to both members of the Diaspora as they seek to locate their place in a rapidly globalising world, and to those who wish to understand a major development in recent world history." (jacket).