Interrogating "Indianness" : identity and diasporic consciousness among South Asian twice migrants in Canada

The impetus for this study comes from the need to understand the differences across the migration and settlement experiences of various national and cultural groups commonly identified as "South Asian" in Canada. This paper insists, first, on recognizing that the perception of where homeland is and hence the terms by which diasporic identity and community affiliations are forged in Canada differ markedly between twice migrants and direct migrants; and second, that the politics of recognition in multicultural Canada has to contend with the differential histories within "South Asian" migrant groups. The research paper uses the examples of Indo-Caribbeans and Afro-Asians to argue for the social and political importance of recognizing the above distinctions and draws on two cultural productions that directly engage with twice migrant communities in Canada--Ramabai Espinet's The swinging bridge (2003) and M.G. Vassanji's No new land (1991)--to demonstrate ways in which their members understand and articulate their sense of self and place in Canada.