In Focus
The Bangladeshi Diaspora: A Study and Analysis
Dr Iftekhar A. Chowdhury
Senior Research Fellow
Institute of South Asian Studies
Bangladesh’s population, at 150 million, is one of the largest in the world. In recent times, the number of Bangladeshis living abroad has grown exponentially, and is now approximately 5.5 million. At the country’s independence in 1971, the size was no more than 300,000. Most reside in the United Kingdom and some in North America.
Understanding the Indian Diaspora
Dr Rajesh Rai
South Asian Studies Programme
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
National University of Singapore
The study of diaspora – a term often used to describe “any population…which has originated in a land other than which it currently resides in, and whose social, economic, and political networks cross the border of nation-states” Vertovec (1997: 277) – has emerged as a key area of scholarly inquiry in the humanities and social sciences. Underlying the interest in the study of diaspora is the continued, unrelenting, movement of people across national boundaries.
Culture and Economy in the Sri Lankan Diaspora
Dr Darini Rajasingham Senanayake
Visiting Research Fellow
Institute of South Asian Studies
The Sri Lankan (formally Ceylonese) diaspora has assumed increasing self-consciousness and importance with successive waves of migration from the Indian Ocean island to almost every continent over the last two hundred years.
The Indian Diaspora in East Asia and Southeast Asia
Associate Professor Kalyani K. Mehta
Department of Social Work
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
National University of Singapore
The subject of the Indian Diaspora has become a popular focus for many research studies and publications. A quick visit to a library’s catalogue or internet search reveals the variety of complexities that characterise communities in the Indian diaspora. According to some literature, the Indian diaspora may be traced to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or even Sri Lanka as these countries are often classified as the “South Asian” nations.
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