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Migration, Transnationalism, and Ambivalence: The Punjab–United Kingdom Linkage

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Migration and Transformation:

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Migration ((IPMI,volume 3))

Abstract

This chapter investigates developments in the Punjab–UK transnational space, a long-standing and extensive migration corridor. Within India’s diverse migration history, Punjab’s specificity is its particular historical connection with the UK, despite criss-crossing colonial and postcolonial migrations across the globe. We juxtapose field research in the UK and Punjab and show that transnationalism appears and works differently when viewed from either location—highlighting the differentially empowered nature of transnational space, as well as irresolvable ambivalences that are worked into transnational relationships. We reconsider the transnationalism paradigm through five interrelated arguments. We demonstrate the complexity of transnational space, which exceeds the binary sending–receiving country relationship that characterizes the literature. We find that transnationalism is not merely produced “from below” by the activities of migrants and diaspora, but is orchestrated and formalized by various arms of the Indian and British states. Moreover, illicit flows of people are also produced by the governance of migration. Transnational connectivity does not diminish individuals’ desire for a single, solid citizenship and nationality beyond the pragmatism attached with citizenship. Finally, we argue for historicizing of transnational networks and appreciation of the social relations of gender, generation, class, and caste by which they are cleaved.

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Abbreviations

BNP:

British National Party

ECR:

Emigration Check Required

ECNR:

Emigration Check Not Required

FCNR:

Foreign Currency Non Resident Account

FDI:

Foreign Direct Investment

FEMA:

Foreign Exchange Management Act

HLCID:

High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora

IDF:

India Development Foundation

IP:

Immovable Property

IT:

Information Technology

KIP:

Know India Programme

MOIA:

Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs

NGOs:

Non Governmental Organizations

NRE:

Non Resident External Rupee Account

NRI:

Non Resident Indian

NRP:

Non Resident Punjabis

OCI:

Overseas Citizen of India

PIO:

Person of Indian Origin

RBI:

Reserve Bank of India

RHLCID:

Report of the High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora

SGPC:

Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandakh Committee

SPDC:

Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children

UNODC:

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

VDC:

Village Development Council

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Acknowledgment

We are very grateful to our colleagues from the TRANS-NET project and to Virinder Kalra, University of Manchester, who gave us valuable critical feedback on this report at the final TRANS-NET meeting, December 3, 2010.

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Qureshi, K., Varghese, V.J., Osella, F., Rajan, S.I. (2012). Migration, Transnationalism, and Ambivalence: The Punjab–United Kingdom Linkage. In: Pitkänen, P., Içduygu, A., Sert, D. (eds) Migration and Transformation:. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3968-0_2

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