By TCN News,
Aligarh: Dr.M. Waseem Raja, Asst. Professor, Central Asia Studies, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University represented Indiaat the SAARC Regional Conference on “Circulation of Cultures and Culture of Circulation: Diasporic Cultures of South Asia, during 18th to 20th Centuries,” held on 15 -18th March 2012 at Galle, Sri Lanka.
Dr. Raja presented a research paper on “Assessing South Asian Internal Diaspora in the Twentieth Century; Identifying Transnationalism, Cultural Exchange and Newer Cultural Hubs in India. Dr. Raja’s area of specialization isDiplomatic Studies, Afghanistan & Central Asia.The conference was organized by SAARC Cultural Centre Sri Lanka.
Dr.M. Waseem Raja
The focal point of the talk was on how South Asian Diaspora was created during the last two previous centuries (18th to 20th centuries). The talk had two parameters, one dealing with traditional diaspora of Colonial times, when Indians mostly had ended as indentured labourers in plantation industries at far off locations to Trinidad &Tobago, Mauritius, Fiji, Java, Sumatra and other places. The second diasporarelate to contemporary diaspora which came after the Sub-continent was freed from colonial bondages. The second wave was more for liberation sake, search for better pastures, and seeking solace in UK, USA and other newly industrialised locations of the world. The second wave came to be popularly termed as brain drain diaspora.
The other aspect of the talk was contemporary internal displacements/ migrations, which resulted mostly in Indian context as a result of Job seeking people, violence against any particular community, environmental and developmental related displacements. In this regard Bhojpuri speaking people and their diaspora was taken as micro level study.
A large number of experts on Diasporic Cultures from SAARC countries, Media experts, Historians, Archaeologists, diplomats from different parts South Asia India, Pakistan, Bangladesh Afghanistan, Bhutanetc were present there.