Bajan-Indians

Emergent identities of the Gujarati-Muslims of Barbados

Bibliographic Data

ID19001580
AuthorsHaajima Degia (Barbados Community College, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume10
Issue2
Pages155-171
Publication date2018-04-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSouth Asian Diaspora (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1943-8184 • E-ISSN: 1943-8192
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19438192.2018.1460919
OpenAlexW2796648548
LanguageEN
References cited23

This paper presents primary research on a specific Indian ethno-religious group present in Barbados: the Gujarati-Muslims. Indian migration to Barbados began at the turn of the twentieth century. During its near one hundred year presence on the island, the group has inserted itself into the Barbadian society as a well-defined religious group and a significant merchant class. This article examines the ways in which Gujarati-Muslims negotiate their identities within a predominantly black Christian society. The study relies on creolisation theory to inform its understandings, and argues that Gujarati-Muslims perceive themselves as having hybrid identities, thereby disrupting the monistic paradigms of nation, culture and belonging. Creolisation theory also facilitates an analysis of the intricate dimensions of the arbitration and social construction of the Bajan-Indian group identity

Aesthetics · Art · Epistemology · Gujarati · Literature · Monism · Negotiation · Social group · Social identity theory · Social science · Sociology · Anthropology · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · Gender Studies · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Philosophy