3 Review(s)

These scholarly essays break new ground in the study of Indian indentured labour, the role of labour migration in economic development, and the history of Natal. The collection includes Daniel North-Coombes' pioneering comparison of the role of indentured labour in the sugar industries of Natal and Mauritius, Maureen Swan's study of worker accommodation and resistance, Jo Beall's investigation of the double oppression of women, and Surendra and Arvinkumar Bhana's exploration of the very high rates of suicide amongst indentured workers. Accounts of individual stories in several essays ensure that the workers are never seen as faceless victims, and Rajend Mesthrie's study of language contact and J.B. Brain's essay on religion give further reminders that these migrants brought not only their labour but their culture. Surendra Bhana was formerly Professor of History at the University of Durban-Westville and visiting professor at the University of Kansas.