Neighbours abroad

When large-scale migration from the Subcontinent began during the second half of the 19th century, Southasians were pioneers in the early stages of the formation of our global village. Many worked as indentured labourers, picking sugarcane in the Caribbean and tapping rubber trees in Southeast Asia after Britain abolished slavery in its colonies in 1834. Others migrated for economic opportunity as railroad workers and shopkeepers in East and South Africa. Some served the British cause in two world wars, and were able to settle in Britain. Dictator Idi Amin's expulsion of Uganda's Southasian communities in 1972 sent large numbers to Britain, Canada and the United States. During the 1970s, changes to immigration laws allowed Indians and others from the region to pursue professional degrees in US universities, and the demand for highly skilled technicians and engineers from India fuelled the 'dotcom' economic boom of the 1990s. These are some of the historical forces that have shaped the diaspora as we know it today.

But migration from the Subcontinent is not frozen in time. Political and economic forces have carried people from this region all over the world, but so have personal and familial decisions. Kids grow up, get married and move away. They pursue education and business opportunities in distant lands and, increasingly, back in Southasia. Families that left generations ago are now thoroughly globalised, with relatives on different continents – talking to each other through video software on their laptops, e-mailing wedding photographs and sharing family news. Communications technologies, satellite television and a stronger world economy have enabled formerly isolated communities not only to re-establish connections with those in the Subcontinent but also to build relationships with each other.

Today, in the first decades of the 21st century, a vibrant diaspora of nearly 30 million people who trace their roots to the Subcontinent participates in a global culture that is increasingly influenced by Southasian culture, particularly that from India. This is especially true in the arts. The bhangra beats from the villages of Punjab, for example, found their way to London dance clubs during the 1980s. They then drifted across the Atlantic, to New York and California, where they blended with African-American hip-hop to form a unique global hybrid. Folk instruments like the dhol have now become part of popular music, standing alongside the electric guitar as an instrument of rock and roll. Bollywood, of course, continues to be one of the world's most popular film industries, not just among the diaspora but also among moviegoers in places such as Indonesia and North Africa.

With its mix of Subcontinental elements and local adaptations, the culture of the global diaspora is not uniform, though it still manages to 'feel' Southasian. Given the historical isolation of some of these communities, it is remarkable how it has survived. There is clearly a part of the region's culture – perhaps even a central component – that is portable. The daily routines and family connections that create community have been carried from the Subcontinent to the far corners of the world – where the community is both retained and remade every day.

Preston Merchant is a New York-based photographer working on IndiaWorld, an exploration of the global diaspora.