African Clusters in India (South Asia in Context)

174 Pages·2023·2.716 MB·English

by  Koyal Verma

African Clusters in India
African Clusters in India examines the discrimination and stereotypes faced
by African migrants in India. It outlines the narratives of the migrants and
demonstrates how their ‘African identity’ gets associated with drugs, prosti-
tution, and cannibalism. The book brings to the fore how African migrants
experience racial profiling based on a conflated African identity and how
this identity gets generalized irrespective of the different nationalities and
leads to social exclusion.
This monograph argues that the antagonistic urban environment gives
rise to the formation of a pan-African identity as a response to cultural
biases and stereotypes. Thus, it explores the role of language, culture, and
politics of representation to show the process of ‘othering’ and exclusion in
India.
Drawing on lived experiences of the migrants, the volume engages with
the larger discourse of globalization, liberalization, and migration within
the global south. It will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of
critical race theory, ethnography, urban sociology, African studies, and
South Asian studies.
Koyal Verma is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the School of
Liberal Arts, Bennett University. She has taught at Delhi University in col-
leges like Miranda House, Hindu College, and Maitreyi College, as well as
Ambedkar University Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has done
research for projects funded by Yale University, UNESCO, Ford Foundation,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, and United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA). Her areas of specialization are urban sociology, migration stud-
ies, diaspora studies, and race and ethnic studies.
South Asia in Context
South Asia in Context is a multidisciplinary series which offers a platform
for groundbreaking research in new and established frontiers in South
Asian Studies from scholars across the world. It informs on and spotlights
the diverse culture, history, society, emerging economy, religion, and geog-
raphy as well as politics of the various South Asian countries.
Bringing together contributions from across the humanities and the social
sciences, the Series aims to provide a critical and in-depth analysis of the
many histories, current affairs, and possible futures as well as challenges
faced by the region. The books in the series are grounded in extensive theo-
retical and empirical research, covering both micro and macro themes of
global and local relevance. They contribute to the expanding oeuvre of con-
temporary South Asian Studies and bring into focus hitherto unexplored
areas of research.
Books in the series are published simultaneously in UK/US and South
Asia editions, as well as in e-book format. Please contact rioeditorial@tand-
findia.com if you wish to submit a new proposal.
Indigenous Question, Land Appropriation, and Development
Understanding the conflict in Jharkhand, India
Gautam Pingali
African Clusters in India
Koyal Verma
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.
com/South-Asia-in-Context/book-series/SAIC
African Clusters in India
Koyal Verma
First published 2023
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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business
© 2023 Koyal Verma
The right of Koyal Verma to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Verma, Koyal, author.
Title: African clusters in India / Koyal Verma.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. | Series:
South Asia in context | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022045846 (print) | LCCN 2022045847 (ebook) | ISBN
9781032196602 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032233345 (paperback) | ISBN
9781003276845 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Africans--India--Social conditions. | Urban black
people--India. | Sociology, Urban--India. | Marginality, Social--India.
| Group identity--India.
Classification: LCC DS432.A25 V47 2023 (print) | LCC DS432.A25 (ebook) |
DDC 305.896/054--dc23/eng/20221117
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022045846
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022045847
ISBN: 978-1-032-19660-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-23334-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-27684-5 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003276845
Typeset in Sabon
by SPi Technologies India Pvt Ltd (Straive)
Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgments ix
List of Acronyms xi
PART I
Introduction 1
1 ‘African Clusters,’ Spatial Exclusion, and ‘African’
Identity in India 3
PART II
The Emergence of African Clusters in India 17
2 India-Africa Relations: Delineating Post-colonial
and Neoliberal Ties in Global South 19
3 Historical and Contemporary Patterns of Migration
from Africa to India 38
4 The Forced Migration of Somali Refugees: Mapping
the Impacts of Civil War and Internal Political Crisis 53
5 Re-reading ‘African’ Clusters: Locating Housing
Segregation, Gated Communities, and
Discriminatory Practices 68
vi Contents
PART III
Race, Representation, and Othering: Lived Experiences
from the African Cluster 81
6 African Migrants and Discrimination: Locating the
Intersectionality of Race, Class, Gender, and Religion 83
7 African Migrants, the State, and Contesting Narratives on
Racial Discrimination: Locating Critical Race Theory 98
8 Discursive Representation and Othering of the
African Identity: Race as a Signifier 112
9 The Pan-African Identity in India: The Emergence
of Collective Identity through Solidarity Networks
and African Kitchens 125
PART IV
The Way Forward 139
10 De-colonizing Colour Consciousness: Theorzing Race
and Racism in India 141
Index 159
Preface
This book is based on the contemporary ‘African Clusters’ in India.
Historically, since the sixth and seventh centuries BC, people of African
descent have been migrating to India. The ‘Siddi Community’s’ cultural
integration is well documented. They have integrated into Indian society by
assuming various roles and responsibilities. Nonetheless, in the modern era,
African migrants are experiencing urban segregation, exclusion and gentri-
fication. Therefore, the purpose of this book is to outline and analyse the
discrimination, stereotypes, and social exclusion faced by African migrants
in urban areas. It outlines the lived experiences of the migrants through
narratives and the issues encountered by them in India. It further illustrates
how the ‘African identity’ is associated with drugs, prostitution, and canni-
balism. These stereotypes generate cultural conflicts and contestations
between the African immigrant community and the local host community.
In addition, it gives rise to spatial exclusion and segregation of the African
community through the formation of ‘African clusters.’ This book outlines
the role of culture, language, and representational politics in social and
spatial exclusion.
This book draws from the Chicago School. It is based on urban ethnog-
raphy to analyze spatial exclusion and gentrification in the South Asian
context. Ironically, the global world is less familiar with the narratives and
perspectives of African migrants residing in India. In the west, issues of
racial discrimination have received attention, but in India, this is a topic
that still requires academic discussion and inquiry. There is a dearth of rac-
ism theory from the perspective of the east, the global south, or South Asia.
This monograph, therefore, addresses this knowledge gap.
The book aims to describe the connection between race, racial clusters,
and spatial exclusion in India. It outlines the historical and contemporary
migration patterns from Africa to India with a focus on the politics of the
global south. It further comprehends the mechanisms underlying the forma-
tion of racial clusters in India. It also outlines the contexts of discrimination
that migrants face based on their lived experiences. It maps the processes
through which the social construction of African and pan-African identity
viii Preface
is formulated. It further demonstrates how African clusters function as sites
for negotiating marginalization. This book will also contribute to the dis-
cussion on Sustainable Development Goals and will contribute to de-colo-
nization. With reference to the ‘African Cluster,’ this book advocates for
‘de-colonizing colour consciousness’ in the global south.
Dr. Koyal Verma
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the faculty and staff of the Centre for the Study of
Social Systems (CSSS), Centre for African Studies, and Jawaharlal Nehru
University for their unwavering guidance and support throughout my aca-
demic journey. My heartfelt gratitude goes to my professors, Prof. Renuka
Singh, Prof. Vivek Kumar, Dr. Bimol Akoijam, Dr. G. Srinivas, Prof. Maitrayee
Chaudhuri, Prof. Susan Viswanathan, Prof Tanveer Fazal, Prof. Nillika
Mehrotra, Prof. Surinder S Jodhka, and Prof. Dipankar Gupta. Prof. Sanjay
Srivastava deserves a special mention for lending me his invaluable insights
and support during and after my Ph.D. I would like to thank my colleagues
at Hindu College, Maitreyi College, and Miranda House of Delhi University
for their encouragement and with whom I have had numerous discussions.
I would especially like to thank Dr. Gopi D. Tripathy, Dr. Anurita Jalan, and
Dr. Mala Kapur Shankardass who were the most encouraging during my
research and fieldwork. Of course, all my colleagues at Delhi University, too
numerous to mention here, have been invaluable in shaping the ideas pre-
sented in the book. I would also like to thank everyone at the School of
Human Ecology Ambedkar University Delhi, especially Dr. Suresh Babu for
the many discussions on issues of urban ecology. I would like to mention
that the numerous engagements I had with my colleagues, peers, and profes-
sors on issues of migration, integration, and identity have allowed me to
build and expand some of my arguments. I want to thank Dr. Indranil
Chakraborty and Jatin Gandhi for their motivation, especially during the
final stages of the book. My special thanks to Prof. Alka Parikh at Bennett
University for her support and my colleagues, especially Dr. Saurabh
Todariya who has been very encouraging. I would like to express my heart-
felt thanks to Aakash Chakrabarty for his invaluable support during the
writing of this book. I also want to thank Melissa Brown Levine for giving
me her comments and making some very insightful observations and
suggestions.
I would like to express my gratitude to the library and staff at Delhi
University (Department of Sociology and the Department of African
Studies), JNU, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and NMML, Nehru Memorial
Museum and Library, for giving me their assistance. I would especially like
to thank the Khoj Foundation in Khirki Extension for allowing me to use