TRUTH BE TOLD

WHO ARE WE?

Image credit: CAMERON CASEY on Pexels.

By DR VICKI BISMILLA

I have always regarded myself as Indian. Born in South Africa as a descendent of my grandfather who was indentured in India by the British Raj and brought to South Africa, we are his proud progeny.

Ethnically we were Indian and nationally we were South African, so Indian-South African or South African-Indian.

But we are here in Canada now for 52 years. So are we Indian-Canadian? Or South African-Indian-Canadian?

We cannot be Canadian- Indian because the colonist Columbus, in his ignorance, thought he had reached India and mistakenly labelled as Indian the indigenous people of North America and savagely murdered them by the thousands. But that misnomer “North American Indian” has stuck.

We are labelled South Asians. If you use your search engine and ask, “Who are South Asians?” you will likely be told that we are a group of diverse populations of South Asia including nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka (and sometimes Afghanistan and Myanmar). We are nearly two billion people and over 20 million of us live in diasporas outside of South Asia.

Inside South Asian countries populations have distinctly diverse cultural characteristics and though some countries may share ethnicity, skin colour, some lingual overlap and some traditions like marriage rituals, we are deeply divided in other aspects like religion. The societal complexities and divisions are researched and documented in academic publications like the SAGE peer-reviewed journal Society and Culture in South Asia which publishes articles in the fields of South Asian sociology and anthropology.

In diasporas like here in Canada, most South Asians live in harmony with fellow South Asians, regardless of language or faith differences, and with people of other origins and other religions. Most practise their religious and social traditions peacefully within their own communities, faith places or social circles, though there are gaps appearing between the old and new Canadian-born generation in such areas as arranged marriages, clothing choices, music preferences and media. However, many young people respect their parents’ religious and cultural practices and hold on to them as part of their identity within their day-to-day lives. 

While we may, as South Asians in Canada, be peace-loving, law-abiding and harmony-seeking people, we are often met with xenophobia.

The insidious thing about xenophobia is that it not only targets ethno-specific groups, it creates fractures within those groups.

So within the South Asian diaspora xenophobia from racists may cause South Asians to look inwards at other South Asians and blame their religion or their cultural practices or other differences and nuances for attracting hate. This may then fester toxicity such as politicized religious mistrust within diasporas. Instead of looking outward toward the acidic xenophobia of racists and bigots we make the mistake of helping their hate along by fracturing ourselves. The government of Canada is correct in addressing all hate, racism, bigotry and anti-Semitism within our country through Human Rights legislation and our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Let us not fracture ourselves when hate is flung at us. Imagine if we all united in support of people in our communities who are targeted by racists, bigots, xenophobes and haters of all stripes.

If you are interested in exploring the rich and robust cultures of us South Asians in diasporas around the world, there are prolific scholarly articles, books, journals and compilations that research, study and examine our diasporas through many different lens. A simple scholarly search of “South Asian diasporas” will yield the works of gifted researchers, scholars, ethnographers, sociologists and professors. It is truly worthwhile to read some of these valuable contributions to our identities and social constructs

Dr Vicki Bismilla is a retired Superintendent of Schools and retired college Vice-President, Academic, and Chief Learning Officer. She has authored two books.