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CALL FOR PAPERS

 


 International Conference organized by Organisation for Diaspora Initiatives (ODI)

on
Indian Diaspora in Development of Home and Host countries: A Comparative Perspective

  Venue: Ahmadabad, Gujarat

Date: 10th-11th January, 2015

 
 
The Indian population migrated under the colonial rule as indentured labour system to many countries around the world like Mauritius, Guyana, Fiji, Trinidad, South Africa. But the post World War II period saw the migration of skilled labourers and professionals from India to countries like United Kingdom, Netherlands and Middle East. The emergence of Indian Diaspora around the world has made the movement of large skilled people from emerging economies in South Asia like India to the developed world like that of USA and Canada. Diaspora plays a very important role in the economic development of their home country. Other than only sending remittances to their country of origin, they also promote trade and FDI, create businesses and encourage entrepreneurship and transfer of new knowledge and skills. Diasporas have been important participants in any strategy made to engage diaspora at international level. In 2012, the African Union organized the first African Global Diaspora Summit at which governments of member states of the African Union and others signed a declaration where they agreed to collaborate with each other politically, socially and economically.
There are various issues in the development of Indian diaspora too. The political empowerment of Indian diaspora plays an important part in the study of diaspora. The people of Indian origin have done well and even dominated the political sphere in number of countries around the world like Mauritius, United Kingdom, Trinidad, US etc. The gender issues with regard to the Indian diaspora are also crucial. The women of Indian origin who were brought along with the indenture labour system have acted like true carriers of culture and preservation of Indian identity. A number of writers have highlighted this journey of Indian diasporic women in UK, USA and Africa. The patriarchal form of the Indian family exists for the women even when they are settled abroad.
There are also issues of connectivity that the Indian diaspora has to face. The diaspora that belongs to different linguistic regions in India like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh etc. finds very difficult to connect with India as such because in terms of identity they identify themselves more with the Gujarati or Tamil identity.
The importance of Indian Diaspora in the Foreign Policy of India is very much visible today through change in its earlier policy of disassociation to active association. The Government of India wants to engage with its diaspora as actively as possible. There are a number of programmes launched by the Indian government especially for its diaspora population under the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs which was launched specially to this effect. On the other hand the emergence of global experience of modern diasporas like Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Lebanese, Polish, Mexican etc. has also put pressure on the Indian government to act rationally for its own diaspora.  
 
With this background the proposed seminar would focus on, though not confined to, the following sub-themes:
 
1.  India and its Global diaspora: Historical Linkages and Modern migration
2.  Contribution of Indian Diaspora to their host countries.
3.  Role of Indian diaspora in Development of India: Historical and Contemporary
4.  Journey of the Women of Indian diaspora: as ‘carriers of culture’, preservers of identity.
5.  Problems of connectivity:  Indian diaspora from different linguistic regions with India.
6. Indian Foreign Policy: Comparative Importance of diaspora as a heritage and strategic resource for emerging India
 
 
Note: Comparison is encouraged within the Indian Diaspora itself as well as with other diasporas.
 
Practicalities: Abstracts in 250 words are invited on any of the sub-themes by 15th of November 2014 to coordinator at  odiseminar@gmail.com . Modest accommodation and free conference meals and kits will be provided to those participants whose final paper (5000 words) is received by 15th of December 2014. The abstract selection will be communicated by 19th of November 2014. There will be no registration fee for the seminar. Papers from the conference may be published in peer reviewed journal Diaspora Studies, published by Routledge, U.K. (www.tandfonline.com/rdst )
 

For any further query, please contact, Prof Ajay Dubey at odiseminar@gmail.com 

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