Abstracts / Résumés - Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI

Migration and Settlement in the South West Indian Ocean. Shifting Paradigms
MAHATMA GANDHI INSTITUTE
SCHOOL OF MAURITIAN & AREA STUDIES
Centre for Mauritian Studies
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 10 – 12 NOVEMBER 2010
MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT IN THE
SOUTH-WEST
INDIAN OCEAN. SHIFTING PARADIGMS
Abstracts / Résumés
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Migration and Settlement in the South West Indian Ocean. Shifting Paradigms
Participants
Markus ARNOLD
PhD student
University of Regensburg & University La Réunion
[email protected]
Zareen N Beebeejaun
Centre for Mauritian Studies
Mahatma Gandhi Institute
[email protected]
Hansa Devi Bissoondeeal
Linganaden Murday
Faculty of Social Studies and Humanities
University of Mauritius
[email protected]
Bruno Cunniah
Associate Professor
Faculty of Social Studies and Humanities
University of Mauritius
[email protected]
Nagamah Gopauloo
School of Mauritian and Area Studies
Mahatma Gandhi Institute
[email protected]
Kalpana Hiralal
Associate Professor
School of Anthropology Gender and Historical Studies
University of Kwazulu-Natal
[email protected]
Gaëtan Jabeemissar
Deputy Chief Commissioner
Rodrigues Regional Assembly
[email protected]
Gerelene Jagganath
University of Kwazulu-Natal
[email protected]
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Migration and Settlement in the South West Indian Ocean. Shifting Paradigms
Amenah Jahangeer-Chojoo
Centre for Mauritian Studies
Mahatma Gandhi Institute
[email protected]
Abdool Cader Kalla
Associate Professor
Mauritius Institute of Education (retired)
[email protected]
Evelyn Kee Mew
Emmanuel Bruno Jean-François
Mauritius Institute of Education
[email protected]
Michèle Marimoutou Oberlé
Doctorante en Histoire
Université de Nantes
[email protected]
Amit Kumar Mishra
Assistant Professor
Centre for the Study of Indian Diaspora
University of Hyderabad
[email protected]
Mahezabeen Nobeebux
Mahatma Gandhi Secondary School
[email protected]
Anne Robin
doctorante
Université Autonome de Barcelone
[email protected]
Anand Singh
Professor
School of Anthropology, Gender and Historical Studies
University of Kwazulu-Natal
[email protected]
Shanta Singh
School of Anthropology, Gender and Historical Studies
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Migration and Settlement in the South West Indian Ocean. Shifting Paradigms
University of Kwazulu-Natal
[email protected]
Joseph Tsang Mang Kin
Writer
[email protected]
Goolam Vahed
Associate Professor
Department of Historical Studies
University of KwaZulu Natal
[email protected]
Maylani VEERASAMY
Anil Kumar KOKIL
Vivekanandsingh JOYSUREE
Ministry of Finance and Economic Development
[email protected]
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Migration and Settlement in the South West Indian Ocean. Shifting Paradigms
Abstracts / Résumés
Markus Arnold
«Undergoing wonderful sea changes»? Indian migration in contemporary
Mauritian fiction in English between ethnicisation and intercultural ideals
Contemporary Mauritian literature written in English is less visible and numerically
inferior compared to its francophone counterparts. Whereas writers such as Ananda
Devi, Carl de Souza, Natacha Appanah, to name but a few, have achieved
international visibility, only rare Mauritian novels are published in English, even less
are well known beyond a limited readership.
The present paper attempts to shed an analytic light on four of these neglected
literary works published between 1995 and 2003: The changing pattern (1995) by
Bhageeruthy Gopaul, A temple on the island (1999) by Ramesh Bucktawar, The
snake spirit (2002) by Chaya Parmessur and finally Against All Odds (2003) by
Tarachun Bissoonauth. All of them treat the familiar literary subject of Indian
migration and settlement on Mauritius. Our discourse analysis will focus on a certain
number of recurrent motifs and tropes in these novels which generally adopt a rather
didactic posture of memory writing. Which representations of Indians, indentured
workers and Indo-Mauritians are adopted? What ideological underpinning can be
unveiled behind these memorial fictions? How do they function in a multicultural
context? In how far are these current novels conceived in continuity or rupture to
preceding literary portrayals of Indian migration and settlement? Are there any
shifting paradigms to be observed? Finally, to what extent do they diverge from
contemporary Mauritian novels in French?
Zareen N Beebeejaun
Perception of Young Graduates about Migration and Brain Drain: A Survey
Migration has become a major issue across the world as the quest for an “ideal” life
more than ever tempts people away from their homeland. The pace at which
Mauritians, especially skilled persons, are going to study or work in Europe or other
countries, is very significant. Contrasting with the first wave of emigration in the
1960s which relieved the State from overpopulation and unemployment, the
dynamics of migration today represents a loss of human capital. In recent years the
number of youngsters going abroad for further studies who eventually never return to
their native island has tripled. This appears to be a more subtle form of migration
also called brain drain, whereby the prime objective of the migrant is not necessarily
permanent migration.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of young university
graduates about migration. Is this form of skilled and legal labour more accepted by
the host countries compared to the unskilled migrants? Do the migrants enjoy a
better standard of living in the host countries? Is the potential immigrant that is the
young graduate, aware of the impact of migration on his/her country of birth as well
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Migration and Settlement in the South West Indian Ocean. Shifting Paradigms
as on the host country? Finally, is it not time to address the issue of increasing brain
drain impacting on the Mauritian society in terms of human resources?
Hansa Devi Bissoondeeal
Linganaden Murday
The Changing Paradigm of the Emigration of Health Care Practitioners from
Mauritius
The Commonwealth Immigrants Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (UK)
passed in 1962 provided citizens of Commonwealth of Nations countries extensive
rights to migrate to the UK. This caused a peak in the immigration of nurses from
diverse places from Jamaica, the Philippines to South Africa. Push factors like
unemployment and the prospect of greener grass spurred many Mauritians to hop on
the bandwagon. Three rounds of the amendments to Immigration Laws in a period of
less than one decade dissipated this trend up until recently when an ageing
population and the shortage of local health workers in the UK caused a revival of
emigration of Mauritius-trained health care practitioners. However, in contrast to the
first wave of emigration in the 1960s and 1970s, the migration dynamics have
changed.
This paper seeks to analyse the extent of the shift in the push and pull factors behind
migration, return migration or the seeking of permanent residence in the destination
country. The significant difference pertains to the skill levels of the migrant health
practitioner, who in the past migrated as an unqualified and unskilled worker but now
holds a very different profile. Mauritius-trained nurses in particular have built a strong
reputation for advanced practical training, adaptability and versatility. Also, starting
from the modest state left by the 1960s migrants, Mauritius has reached a middleincome country status where standards of living are reasonably high. The irony is
that Mauritius is now an attractive destination for immigrants in quest for a less
stressful life style. The evolution of the magnitude of remittances over the years is
investigated.
Bruno Cunniah
Untold Desires: Sex, Society and Women of Indian Origins.
Any study of sexuality in the Mauritian context has to take into account the ethnic factor
because of its predominance in the conceptualization of human interactions. Since the
arrival of the Indian immigrants on the island, cultural practices associated to this group
have been influenced by numerous endogenous as well as exogenous factors. The
result is an evolution in the status of the Indo-Mauritian woman. Once limited to the
home, her horizons have expanded due to access to education and to her participation
in the paid workforce. Similarly, her perception of sexuality has witnessed some drastic
changes as can be witnessed in this age of globalization.
In contrast to the subservient women pictured in colonial literature, the contemporary
woman of Indian origins uses, above all, her intelligence to reach her goals of sexual
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gratification. In less than a century, she will proceed from the status of object to that of
subject. However, despite the evolution of the Mauritian society, women‟s sexuality still
raises a number of issues. This is so because of the conservative and the patriarchal
nature of the insular society, which even today struggles to give a non-secular meaning
to sexuality, particularly in circles where ancestral traditions are still very much the
norm. These types of situations leave only one option to the modern woman: Sexual
gratification through subversion.
Nagamah Gopauloo
Migration and Settlement Patterns in Mauritius
Mauritius is a settler society that owes its formation to successive waves of
migration. Over the few centuries, the Mauritian society has undergone substantial
social and cultural transformations which are visible in its built landscape, namely in
the settlement patterns. From clusters of rudimentary shelters known as “camps”,
settlement patterns evolved into villages, towns and cities. The estate camp that had
characterized rural landscape for nearly two centuries, favoured the development of
social relations, group cohesion as well as interculturality, which have often been
replicated in villages, towns and in the city.
This paper will seek to explain how working and living conditions on the estate camp
contributed to the emergence of new settlements, and the formation of multi-cultural
community. Two case studies will serve to illustrate the transformation.
The first part of the paper will provide first an overview of the evolution of settlement
since the 18th century till the abolition of slavery and the beginning of Indian
immigration; the second part will provide an in-depth study of the estate camp
focusing on the social and cultural aspects; and the third part will address issues
leading to the disappearance of the camps from the Mauritian landscape and the
emergence of new villages and towns. Memories of life on estate camps will be used
to substantiate the discussion.
Kalpana Hiralal
The paper examines the Free Indian immigration in the context of economic
competition in colonial Natal between 1890 and1910. It argues the arrival and
settlement of Free Indian immigrants created many economic and political
challenges for the colonial state. In colonial Natal, the presence of the free Indian
population, who engaged primarily in trade, unleashed a wave of ant-Indian feeling.
That anti-Indian sentiment, to a very large extent, was based on economic and
racial prejudice. Anti-Indianism was confined largely to a segment of the Indian
population, namely the “Arab” traders. The latter arrived as free Indians, were
mainly Gujarati speaking Hindus and Muslims from Western India, who were
unencumbered by indentured obligations. These newer immigrants came initially to
serve the economic needs of the indentured Indian population, but within a short

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space of time, monopolised both the Indian and African retail trade. Their economic
success threatened the livelihoods of many petty colonial traders, who in times of
economic recession were the hardest hit. By the mid 1880s anti-Indianism reached
vociferous levels, and there were subsequent calls by colonists for legislation to curb
the economic and social mobility of Indians, in particular Free Indians. This paper
argues that anti-Indian sentiment in colonial Natal was based on both economic and
racial prejudice. By examining the causal nature of anti-Indian hostility in the
context of race class and ethnicity, this paper also provides a deeper insight into
the complexities of race relations in colonial Natal between 1890 and1910.
Gaëtan Jabeemissar
Inter-island Migration, Rodrigues and Mauritius Island
Gerelene Jagganath
The return migration of married Indian women in Durban, KwaZulu – Natal
The presence of professional women in global migration streams challenges
dominant discourse on women‟s place in contemporary global society. They prompt
an appreciation of the multitudinous ways in which their migration trajectories
intersect with increasing global labour participation and the reconfiguration of family
networks. By examining the transnational migration strategies of a group of married
professional Indian women in Durban specifically, this paper attempts to stimulate
thought on the „place‟ of such women in post-apartheid South African society. A
snapshot account of the historical background of Indian women in South Africa,
together with the recent voices of the autonomous migration of married Indian
women professionals, makes visible the agency of the women in creating
opportunities for empowering themselves and their families. Changing local political,
economic and social conditions has seen a steady growth in the migration of such a
group, between South Africa and overseas destinations of the First World in
particular. The sojourn between two or more nations has implications for
understanding the experience of return – migration and the roles and obligations of
the married women within the natal as well as the marital household.
Amenah Jahangeer-Chojoo
Demographic Trends and Migration Paradigms
Since the beginning of the occupation of the previously uninhabited island of
Mauritius immigration, forced or voluntary, was the only means to increase
development. This paradigm became particularly true with the development of
agriculture during the 19th Century. Immigration was the only way to raise the
number of hands as natural increase of the population was severely restricted by
great imbalance of the sexes and high mortality rate.
The sex ratio struck a balance around the 1930s but mortality was still high until the
World War II years when malaria was eradicated. Mauritius like most countries
experienced a baby boom and a population explosion during the 1950s. Alarmed
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cries of overpopulation were heard in the 1960s and the need to control fertility was
pressed by the Titmuss Report (1960) while the Meade Report (1960) encouraged
resort to emigration.
Mauritius experienced a sharp drop in fertility in a record time from the late 1960s to
early 1970s and by the 1990s fertility rate has dropped below replacement level. This
dramatic change in the population structure with decreasing numbers of young
people and increasing numbers of the elderly poses serious problems which may
jeopardize future development of the country. Immigration has become a reality
since the 1990s but Mauritius is yet to develop a coherent immigration policy. Steps
need to be taken to offset the adverse effects of an aging society and profound
social changes will be inevitable.
Abdool Cader Kalla
From Barbodhan to Belle-Rose: A case study of the migration and settlement
of a small agricultural (Gujarati) Community in Mauritius(1863-1940)
The historiography of Mauritius documents the migration and settlement of a Gujarati
merchant class on the island from 1840 onwards. Initially Meimon Gujarati
merchants dealing in grains, edible oil, sugar and other condiments based in
Calcutta settled in Port Louis. They were followed by Surtee merchants with
commercial houses in Bombay. These Surtees were mostly from the commercial
cities of Rander, Surat and Kathor. Gradually this later group opened general stores
-dukans- in the north of the island.
This paper focuses on the last major group of Gujaratis coming from the small
coastal and agricultural village of Barbodhan. It will analyse the push and pull factors
operating on these village folks. The paper traces their settlement and underscores
their business acumen and inventiveness. Working through notarial acts some of
their transactions will be analysed.
Most important of all, their integration in the colonial host society will be highlighted
together with their intricate system of networking.
Evelyn Kee Mew and
Emmanuel Bruno Jean-François
L’expérience de la déportation :
Entre mémoire de la violence et violence de la mémoire
Vu d‟une perspective historique, l‟Océan Indien est un espace marqué par des
épisodes de migration, de déplacement, voire de déracinement et de déportation. En
ce sens, des migrations entraînées par l‟esclavage, l‟engagisme, le colonialisme, en
ont fait le théâtre de circulations humaines, souvent caractérisé par l‟exploitation et
la violence. Dans ce contexte, l‟histoire de Maurice est aussi celle d‟une île dont le
peuplement et la construction sont marqués par la migration, mais aussi et surtout
par des expériences liées à l‟exploitation et au déracinement humains.
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Si depuis quelques années maintenant, grâce à une série de recherches menées
dans différents domaines sur les formes d‟exploitation humaine ayant eu lieu dans
l‟Océan Indien, les problématiques liées aux phénomènes de déportation sont
relativement claires, la littérature mauricienne contemporaine d‟expression française
participe aussi de cette démarche de reconstitution de la mémoire et revient sur
certains épisodes de déportation qui, mis en commun, contribuent à une meilleure
compréhension des situations historiques ayant amené la situation présente.
Ce que notre communication se propose d‟analyser, c‟est ce retour opéré par cette
littérature contemporaine sur les épisodes douloureux de l‟histoire de l‟île en
insistant sur les possibilités de mise en relation des mémoires : celle de l‟esclavage
(Soupir, Terres d’orages), de l‟engagisme indien (Cale d’étoiles. Coolitude, Les
Rochers de Poudre d’Or), mais aussi de formes plus récentes de déportation comme
celle des juifs dans Le Dernier frère ou encore des Chagossiens (Les Silence des
Chagos). Toutes ces expériences réhabilitées par la littérature offrent une nouvelle
vision de l‟île Maurice, petit espace rêvé et idéalisé, leurre du multiculturel et de
l‟harmonie ethnique.
Michèle Marimoutou Oberlé
Le contrôle sanitaire des immigrants à l’île de la Réunion au XIX e siècle :
Quarantaine et lazarets
L‟île de La Réunion, dans l‟océan Indien, a été peuplée par des vagues migratoires
d‟origines variées et de statuts différents.
Pour prévenir l‟importation ou la diffusion de maladies contagieuses, très tôt, des
mesures sanitaires ont été prises pour protéger l‟île.
Nous nous intéresserons plus particulièrement à la règlementation sanitaire mise en
place pour les « engagés du sucre », débarqués dans l‟île dès 1828, mais surtout
après l‟abolition de l‟esclavage en 1848. Ils sont essentiellement recrutés dans le
sous-continent indien et en Afrique, dans des espaces considérés par les autorités
coloniales comme des réservoirs de variole, de peste et de choléra.
De quelle manière, les règles de contrôle sanitaire à l‟arrivée mises en place pour
ces travailleurs juridiquement libres, mais soumis à un contrat spécifique, diffèrent –
elles de celles concernant des passagers ordinaires? Au XIXe siècle, la notion de
quarantaine est au cœur du dispositif, associée à la présence d‟un lazaret.
Matérialisant la mise à l‟écart, dans un but sanitaire, celui-ci peut-être une structure
légère ou formé d‟immenses dortoirs de pierre comme ceux de La Ravine à Jacques
et de La Grande Chaloupe. Avec les découvertes médicales de la fin du XIXe siècle
sur la transmission des maladies, la quarantaine dans un lazaret devient plus
systématique pour l‟ensemble des arrivants, quel que soit leur statut juridique et
social, en particulier pour ceux qui viennent de régions en contact avec l‟Inde
comme l‟île Maurice.
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Amit Kumar Mishra
Survivors of Servitude
The journey of Indian labour Diaspora which began on 2 nd November 1834 with
arrival of 34 labourers onboard ship Sarah to work on sugar plantations reached a
celebrated landmark when at the time of independence in 1968, Dr Seewoosagur
Ramgoolam, a descendent of indentured labourer, became the premier of
independent Mauritius. This pristine traverse of indentured labourers - from victims of
an oppressive labour regime to the fore of the post-colonial Mauritian state – has
been often ascribed as a circumstantial outcome of the plantation regime and the
achievers of old Diaspora are labelled as „beneficiaries of the empire‟.
This paper endeavours to examine this underlying formulation by posing a
counterfactual proposition in terms of the benefits empire realised through
indentured Diaspora. I shall be arguing that the achievements must also be
celebrated as the accomplishments of their aspirations and ardent endeavours for
socio-economic and political mobility, rather than merely an affirmative outcome of
the indenture system, as often argued and theoretically sustained by the orientalist
rationale. In order to sustain my argument I shall propose a counterfactual
proposition for the benefits empire realised through labour Diaspora. To underline
the agency of labour Diaspora and their volition I shall also trace the excursion of
Indian labour Diaspora in three essential domains: acquisition of property, education
and political consciousness.
This paper will be divided into three sections: first sections sets the background by
giving a narrative of the making of Indian labour Diaspora in Mauritius and the
historiography of the „beneficiaries of empire argument‟; second section attempts to
underline certain benefits the empire realised through the indentured labourers and
in the third and final section, I have tried to ascertain the agency of Indian labour
Diaspora – extent to which the achievements of labour Diaspora can be celebrated
as accomplishments of their aspirations and ardent endeavours.
Mahezabeen Nobeebux
The Life of Female and Migrant workers in the EPZ Sector
After its independence, Mauritius was under the pressure of population explosion
coupled with mass unemployment. At that time, Mauritius was marked by an
agrarian monocrop economy relying completely on the export of sugar to Europe.
The overriding need was the diversification of the economy. A significant shift in
industrial strategy was required to redress the poor socio-economic situation. Thus,
Mauritius embarked on the export led-growth strategy and the first free zone was set
up in 1970.
After a slow start in the 70‟s, the sector acquired momentum during the 80‟s and
achieved optimum growth in the 90‟s. This economic boom led to a quasi full
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employment as it absorbed masses of female Mauritians who had poor skills and
education. To sustain growth and to address the problem of labour shortages, the
EPZ sector turned to foreign labour.
But today, things have changed. This paper will give us an insight on the
environment in which the EPZ sector is evolving after three decades. It is operating
in a different environment with the dismantling of the Multi Fibre Agreement, cut
throat competition from emerging low labour cost countries and higher local labour
costs.
This paper will focus on the preferential demand for female labour. As secondary
breadwinners, these women accepted with docility lower wages for fastidious work.
They became more autonomous financially but they had to confront the “triple
burden” of life: wage labour, child-rearing and household chores. Stress became part
of their newly acquired status and “freedom”. Women‟s entrance in the EPZ has
intensified gender inequalities resulting in exploitation, health related problems and
overwhelming stress.
Instead of finding solutions to these problems and making EPZ work more appealing
to local women, employers are resorting to migrant workers who are ready to accept
even worse working and living conditions. Are short term solutions likely to
consolidate the EPZ sector or assist in its demise?
Anne Robin
De la création à la réception:
Migrations et itinéraires de la production culturelle mauricienne
L'histoire des îles de l'Océan Indien est intrinsèquement liée aux flux de migration
successifs qu'elle a connus au fil des siècles, déplacements humains imposés
pendant la période coloniale qui sont devenus constitutifs de la configuration même
de cet espace. Si l'expérience migratoire reste traditionnellement associée aux
traumatismes engendrés par les différentes vagues de dépopulation et repopulation
organisés par le système colonial, la compréhension même du mot « migration »
aura aujourd'hui évolué de sorte qu'elle englobe des phénomènes de déplacements
et de chevauchements d'espaces, de cultures et d'identités divers.
Les mouvements des groupes humains, des marchandises comme des imaginaires
constituent des dynamiques qui agissent aux confluents de l‟économie, de la culture
et de la politique, se superposent et constituent de nouveaux « paysages sociaux »
(Arjun Appadurai), des flux culturels globaux qui offrent des perspectives à la fois
innovantes et indispensables pour appréhender dans toute sa complexité la
production culturelle du monde moderne.
Dans cette optique, notre communication s‟intéressera au cas particulier de la
production culturelle mauricienne et à la notion de migration culturelle, puisqu‟elle
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comprend aussi bien la migration des personnes que celle des œuvres et des
représentations culturelles. Nous interrogerons les enjeux et problématiques qui
entourent la production littéraire mauricienne, depuis la création jusqu‟à la réception.
Quels sont les auteurs publiés et diffusés à l‟étranger? Et ceux qui le sont à un
niveau local? Si certaines œuvres voyagent littéralement dans le monde, les
déplacements humains participent aussi de ces reconfigurations du paysage culturel
global (s‟installer à l‟étranger, rester au pays, partir et revenir). Tous ces choix
pragmatiques, qu‟ils soient délibérés ou non, nous paraissent essentiels car ils sont
révélateurs de la relation complexe qu‟entretient aujourd‟hui Maurice avec le monde.
Anand Singh
Migration in the 21st Century: Adversity or Advantage?
As we surge ahead into an era of even greater technological innovativeness, the
demise of socialism and the reassertion of capitalism continue to provide challenges
that force us to accept the virtual homogenization of the world economy. Yet social
and individual identities are not so easily manipulated to ignore boundaries of the
past. Against the background of the commonness that globalization generates and
the reinvention of ethnic identities, people remain committed to social
reconstructions that are nostalgic about the history of common religious and social
association, and about the resistances that often provide a veneer of romanticized
militarism to their accomplishments, whether real or imagined. Rooted in such an
attachment to the past is the determination to cling to and carry with them the ideal
of an identity that is instrumental in the provision of inspiration, supported by
idealisms about work and economic achievements. The challenge of this introductory
remark is twofold: I try to acquire a perspective about how the variations of
contemporary migration patterns need to be interrogated; how history becomes
fundamental in the reinvention of identities; and how methodological approaches to
the study of migration need to be rejuvenated in order to bring new and fresh
approaches that does not ignore the value of cybernetics and wireless technology in
the course of research. In the current era regular and frequent contact to familial
connections and wider social networks are axiomatic in the decisions to migrate. But
critical to this process of relocation, whether permanent or temporary, is the
epistemological fall-out that migrants might have with their countries of origin or
countries of adoption. Intrinsic to this double-edged sense of belonging are the “twin
opposites” of an adversity that often arises out of a sense of belonging to a minority
category in the context of a hegemonic culture and an advantage of power to folks
back home through their earnings in higher value currencies. I will endeavour in this
paper, in the spirit of critical rationalism, to eschew out ways and means that attempt
to connect us to 21st century realities through paradigmatic frameworks that shed
light on contemporary processes of power, manipulation and reassertion of identities
and crucially multiple senses of belonging, association and nationalism.
Shanta Singh
Perceptions of Crime by Indians in Indian Dominated suburbs of South Africa
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This paper is about issues of crime that are prevalent among Indian dominated
suburbs. It focuses on several core issues that are known to shape and determine
the character of perceptions among Indians on crime. Some of these issues pertain
to: Indians seeing themselves as victims; as being individuals who have succeeded
economically when viewed against other racial groups as part of a pattern that is
reflective of civil society throughout Africa; as well as victims of unemployed youth of
a political system that is perceived to be led by complacent politicians or leaders.
The evidence will show that not always is crime necessarily perceived in simplistic
racialized tones as is often stated by people of Indian origin. While perceptions are
rife amongst Indians about being victims, there is an equally strong inclination to
view crime as a problem that is more complex than the simplistic undertones of a
racially skewed perception.
Joseph Tsang Mang Kin
A Meeting of Diasporas – Chinese and Indians in Mauritius
Goolam Vahed
Indentured Labour to Natal: New Perspectives
This paper, focusing on Indian indentured labour which was imported to Natal
between 1860 and 1911, will provide a broad historiographical overview of how
indenture was once viewed and how the experience of indenture is now viewed as a
result of detailed research. Taking inspiration from the monumental work of Hugh
Tinker there was a tendency to equate indenture with slavery, seeing the indentured
as mere victims of an all-powerful, repressive system. Another set of studies placed
emphasis on quantitative aspects of indenture, focusing on who came, where they
came from, in which periods they came, what their caste background was, and so
on. Apologists tried to show that indenture provided an escape for Indian teeming
millions who benefited from the system. The focus of research has now shifted to the
lived experience of indenture rather than on the institutional and legislative
framework. Drawing on archival sources, this approach of giving agency to the
indentured allows for the incorporation of issues of gender, culture, religion,
resistance, leisure, and so on, and the presentation of a cross-section of indentured
life.
Maylani Veerasamy
Anil Kumar Kokil
Mr Vivekanandsingh Joysuree
The objective is to share with the participants the vision of Mauritius on Circular
Migration and its linkage to development. It aims at showing how Circular Migration
can be beneficial to the population and its direct impact on investment and Small and
Medium Enterprise (SME) development.
Mauritius is a “land of migrants”. Since the 17th century, people have come to settle
from India, Pakistan, Africa, China and Europe.
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Migration and Settlement in the South West Indian Ocean. Shifting Paradigms
Soon after independence in 1968, the country witnessed a first wave of emigration
for political and economic reasons. Mauritians migrated mainly to Canada, Australia,
UK and France, and a smaller proportion to Italy, Belgium and South Africa. They
now constitute our Diaspora, which is estimated at around 200,000.
As from 2005, Mauritius entered a critical phase of its economic history. The country
faced unprecedented challenges with the triple shocks of the dismantling of the
Multifibre Agreement in 2005, fluctuating oil prices and sharp cuts in guaranteed
sugar prices (-36% as from 2009).
The country was also faced with the problem of growing unemployment (9.1% in
2006) and with a relatively high rate of female unemployment (15.5% in 2006), which
was a source of major concern. The country was also constrained by a mismatch of
skills reflected in the need to import labour. Some 30,000 foreign workers have been
recruited to work mainly in our textile and construction sectors.
In 2006, the Government embarked on a bold ten-year economic reform
programme, where Circular Migration was on the agenda. Mauritius‟ initiative to
develop Circular Migration aims at widening the circle of opportunities for
Mauritians: they work abroad for a few years, acquire skills before returning home to
start a business.
In the first instance, the Government in collaboration with the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) embarked on Circular Migration programmes with
Canada. Since 2008, some 300 Mauritian workers have taken up employment there.
The Government has also concluded a Bilateral Agreement on Circular Migration
with France in 2008, which is a first state-to-state Agreement and is unique in the
world. The Agreement has been ratified in April 2010 and its implementation will start
in September 2010.
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