Boundaries and Community: Indo-Caribbean Identities in the US

by Dr. Moses Seenarine

This paper explores differences and similarities among Indo-Caribbeans in the US in order to understand the characteristics and parameters which define and shape the community, as well as the problems and issues which it faces. Indo-Caribbeans are multiple migrants who started coming to the US from the 1970s onwards. They are the descendants of people of South Asian origin who were taken as indentured laborers to various parts of the English, French and Dutch Caribbean including Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Surinam, Jamaica, and St. Lucia, from 1835-1917. Since the community is diverse, dispersed and disunited, an analysis of their differences is important. Yet, both insiders and outsiders tend to stress similarities over differences, resulting in over-simplification, homogenization, and a static view of a complex, heterogeneous and fluid community with multiple identities.

Differences in the Indo-Caribbean community relate to national and regional identities, religious and racial orientation, gender roles and socialization, age, class, education, time of residence in the US, political orientation, and degree of cultural and social participation in US society. Although these differences serve to divide the community, overlooking them runs the danger of further marginalizing and alienating minority elements within the group. There are many common experiences the community share and face as well, such as colonial and neo-colonial histories in the Caribbean, and experiences as people of color and non-documented immigrants in the US. However, as in the case of their differences, lack of awareness of common issues further inhibits the formation of group identity and goals. While a discussion of all of these issues are beyond the scope of this paper, an exploration of some of the more significant differences will serve to illustrate the tremendous difficulties in generating common awareness and identity among the group as a whole.

A major variance among Indo-Caribbeans relates to national and regional identities derived from South Asia, the Caribbean, and the USA. Indo-Caribbeans in the US have retained and re-constructed several national and regional identities derived from South Asia, for example Madrases from south India, and Bhojpuri from the north and north-east India. In addition, some people identify with ancestral groups in north-west India, and present day Pakistan and Bangladesh. To some extent, national and regional conflicts in South Asia are played out within the Indo-Caribbean community, resulting in further divisions, for example language and regional antagonism between north and south Indians, and the 50-year rivalry between India and Pakistan.

Two of the most meaningful forms of identities among Indo-Caribbeans in the US are national and regional ones derived from the Caribbean. The vast majority continue to define to themselves in relation to a Caribbean nationality, for example referring to themselves as a Trinidadian, Jamaican, etc. In social relations with persons of the same nationality, Indo-Caribbeans often refer to a regional identity, for example among Indo-Guyanese, there are regional identities from the three counties of Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo. Indo-Trinidadians, Indo-Surinamese and Indo-Jamaicans similarly maintain identities relating to the different towns and regions in their respective countries of origin. As in the case of South Asia identities, national and regional rivalry and conflicts spills over to the Indo-Caribbean community in the US, resulting in further divisions. Further, the tendency to refer to Indo-Caribbeans as comprising solely of Indo-Guyanese and Indo-Trinidadians serve to marginalize groups from other territories in the Caribbean.

Indo-Caribbeans also construct regional identities based on their location within the US. The vast distances which separate communities in the north-east, south, south-west, and western US makes it very difficult to establish and maintain linkages between these different groups. However, Indo-Caribbeans living within the same geographic area of the US tend to construct different regional identities based on the state, county and borough in which they reside. For example, in New York City, many conflicts occur at social clubs and events between youths from Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.

Religious orientation is one of the most significant forms of identity and disagreement among Indo-Caribbeans in the US. There are different groups who define themselves, or are defined by others, in terms of Hindu "upper, middle and lower" castes, or untouchable (dalit), adivasi (tribal), Buddhist, or Sikh identities. There are further divisions among Hindus, for example the Sanatanists, Arya Samajis, and Kali worshippers; and in the degree of Sanskritization or adoption of upper caste Hindu norms. There are also various muslim identities, Sunni, Shiite, secular, conservative, etc., and Christian orientations, catholic, Anglican, Baptists, Pentecostal, Adventist, etc. In addition, some Indo-Caribbeans in the US are agnostic or atheists, while others have adopted various new age religions and other faiths. This tremendous variation in religious orientation is often overlooked by those who refer to Indo-Caribbeans as Hindus, which serves to alienate significant numbers who have chosen to opt-out of this caste-based system.

A substantial form of division surrounds racial orientation. That is, Indo-Caribbeans often define themselves in relation to "white" or "black" groups within the US, adopting in large part their concomitant biases. These identities may or may not be related to physical characteristics such as skin color and hair texture. Although the vast majority view themselves as "brown," in the US there are mainly two categories, "black" and "white" and individuals often face the difficult choice of adopting one orientation or the other. Since the category "black" is devalued and demonized, many adapt and construct a "white" identity using friendship and marriage in an attempt to "whiten" themselves. This process occurs especially among the upwardly mobile and professional class, and these individuals may then act out racial prejudices against other Indo-Caribbeans. To some extent, this process may also related to Sanskritization, discussed earlier.

Although rarely addressed, the community is separated by gender roles and socialization. Besides female, male and homosexual groupings, females and males may further be sub-divided according to differences in self-image and adoption of "traditional" or "liberated" roles. There are religious, class and inter-generational differences in patriarchal control as well, for example, Christian and well-to-do families may be more open to female dating before marriage, sending females off to college, etc. The issue of gender role socialization is a particularly important one for women, who are often discriminated in terms of personal freedom, education, marriage options, inheritance, etc., within the community. It is the case that many Indo-Caribbean women choose to date and marry outside the group in the hope of finding more equal gender relationships outside of the group. The predominance of masculine power in the community expresses itself in the subordination and sexualization of females in cultural, social and political events, and in the further marginalization of the majority of Indo-Caribbean women in the US.

Age serves as a major form of variance, resulting in inter-generational conflicts between children, adults and seniors. Since Indo-Caribbean children are more "Americanized" than their parents, this often results in conflicts with their parents who are trying to inculcate them into Indo-Caribbean identities. Children are expected to behave as Indo-Caribbean in the home, but as "American" in school and their neighborhood. This results in confusion and alienation in both contexts.

There are significant disparities in the community in terms of class, divided into predominantly underclass and working class families, and a small number of middle class families who control almost all of the community organizations, media and businesses. Class may be related to educational factors and the differences between non-literates, dropouts, high school graduates, and college graduates in the community. The class biases and exploitation of this small middle class results in the silencing and pauperization of the vast majority of the community. Attempts at mobilizing the community are often motivated by business or religious interests, and to date there are no community based centers for Indo-Caribbean children, women, or seniors. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of poor Indo-Caribbeans in the US remain untouched by the various community organizations and media, and there is a growing division between them and the dominant middle class.

A major discordance exist in regards to time of residence in the US, as longer residences do translate into higher status. The community may be roughly divided into six groupings: new arrivals, one to five years in the US, five to 10 years, 10 to 20 years, 20 to 30 years, and 30 years plus in the US. These differences also express themselves in personal relationships, friendships, culture, religion, class, politics and so on. It is not uncommon for those who have resided in the US for longer periods to adopt a superior attitude to those who have spent less time here, leading to further divisions in the community.

Yet another form of division exists in regards to political orientation as Indo-Caribbeans form political allegiances with various capitalist, socialist, ethnic, gender and religious based groups. The community also vary in terms of degree of political participation "back home," and in the US, where political conflicts serve to further divide the community. Finally, the community is disjointed in terms of degree of cultural and social participation in mainstream US society. These differences are important and must be acknowledge by community leaders, activists, and scholars, in order to promote inclusion and facilitate mutual understanding.

Despite their differences, almost all Indo-Caribbeans in the US share common histories and identities as well, for instance, origins in South Asia, being defined as "Indians" or "Asians" in the US, colonial and neo-colonial experiences in the Caribbean, the indenture system, and nationalist struggles against European and US imperialism in the Caribbean. They also share experiences as people of color in the US, including problems related to language and cultural problems, racism, racial profiling, police brutality, and the stigma of being "black." A vast majority of them are poor and live in neighborhoods characterized by sexism, poverty, drugs, violence and crime, poor education, limited employment options and underemployment. Many also share the experience of non-documented residents in the US.

Although their common experiences and issues can serve as a basis for generating awareness among Indo-Caribbeans as a distinct community in the US, the existence of substantial differences presents tremendous obstacles to this goal. Celebrating diversity within the community is therefore vitally important in order to develop mutual understanding and identity among Indo-Caribbeans in the US.

Dr. Moses Seenarine is currently an Assiatant professor in the Black and Puerto Rican Studies department at Hunter College where he teaches Caribbean history and politics.

[ Back ] [ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ]