Indo-Canadian Novelists from Africa and the Caribbean: A Historical Survey

Abstract

The term “Diaspora” is derived from the Greek words “Speiro” (to sow) and “dia” (over). However, Diaspora is associated primarily with the historical exodus of the Jewish people from the Biblical Israel following the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. It forced their removal to Babylon and their existence outside Palestine. In Jewish reference, the term “acquired a more sinister and brutal meaning. Diaspora signified a collective trauma, a banishment, where one dreamed of home but lived in exile.” (Cohen IX) The present paper intends to give a historical survey of Indo-Canadian novelists from Africa and Caribbean. Since these writers are diasporic and they share indenture labour migration, the paper will first establish a critical standpoint on diaspora. In addition, it will also give a brief historical analysis of the indenture system.