"Daughters of Gujarat in the diaspora": Immigrant women, identity and agency in Natal

Abstract

Through  the  narrative  genre  the  author  examines  issues  of  identity  and  agency  amongst  15  Gujarati  Hindu  immigrant  women  who  arrived  in  Natal  (South  Africa)  between  1943  and  1953.  The  aims  of  this article are three-fold: Firstly, through the narratives the author seeks to highlight the many socio-economic  challenges  that  immigrant  Indian  women  faced  in  the  diaspora.  Secondly,  issues  of  identity  are  examined  in  the  context  of  “home”  and  “belonging”.  While  the  author  argues  that  Gujarat,  their  place  of  birth,  is  no  longer  perceived  as  their  “homeland”,  it  plays  an  important  role  in  constructing  immigrant women’s ethnic identity. Thirdly, the article explores notions of agency and argues that given their personal, economic and social circumstances, Gujarati Hindu women were able to negotiate new roles  for  themselves  within  the  household.  Migration  generated  new  challenges  within  the  traditional  
household which resulted in some women exercising more agency than others. By examining notions of agency, this article seeks to dispel the myth of “passive”, “docile” Indian women, devoid of autonomy in  their  lives.  It  hopes  to  add  to  the  current  theoretical  debates  on  immigrant  women,  agency  and  identity with reference to Gujarati speaking Hindu women in South Africa, a relatively unexplored area of research.