Challenges and evolution of indentured women diaspora in Reunion Island

Abstract

This chapter, based on participatory primary research and literature from secondary sources, analyses historical indentured labour through a gendered lens with a focus on the women indentured labourers brought to Reunion Island from different parts of India. The challenges, exploitation, subjugation and discrimination, faced by the indentured women and the process of emancipation of their female descendants have been critically examined to trace the evolution of the contemporary status of women in the Réunionese Indian diaspora. The social engagement with historical experiences of women indentured labourers is underscored by a dismissive marginalisation which glosses over the structural abuse inherent in society. This chapter examines the grit and determination of the Indian Origin Réunionese women inter-generationally, to overcome adversity and transmute it to create a newparadigm for themselves while executing their role as the carriers of cultural markers and customs which were crucial for the preservation and perpetuation of Indian culture even as they grappled with questions of insidious and persistent patriarchy and their own identity in an atmosphere of “unbelongingness”, as they seek to locate their roles in the two seemingly contradictory dichotomies of French and Indian cultures, attitudes and outlooks. Extensive personal interviews with scholars, professionals and policy makers inform the exegesis of this chapter.