The Indian Diaspora in the Caribbean

The mistakes of the colonial period has bedevilled race relations in the contemporary period. The history of displacement, resettlement and social marginalisation of the Indian Diaspora had led them to form a closed community with limited interaction with other population groups living in the Caribbean, There was a tendency to recreate colonies of 'little Indias' where they could hold on to their own social and cultural norms. Interestingly, migrants from different regions in India, with specific socio-cultural practices could merge much of their cultural and religious differences in the melting pot in the Caribbean and thereby forged an 'Indian' identity. This has fomented ethnic differences and charges of discrimination against East Indians have been voiced from time to time. Indians believe that the Blacks use their political power to create a Black bias in public life in which only Blacks have the full freedom to cultural expression. The non-Indian mainstream, however, argue that the Indians refuse to assimilate within the national life and become part of that identity. This sense of isolation has to be overcome for a full integration of East Indians within Caribbean society. It is also essential if the different countries of the Caribbean are to retain and strengthen their multicultural identity. These developments, however, do not only depend on internal politics but are shaped by external forces such as cultural globalisation and transnationalism. The biggest challenge for the future therefore lies in maintaining national unity through a culture of compromise, with an equal participation of all ethnic groups of the Caribbean.