The making of Little Punjab in Canada
Subtitle: patterns of immigration
By: Archana B. Verma.
Publisher: Sage Publications
Published: 2002
Place of publication: New Delhi; Thousand Oaks, Calif
Language: eng
Number of pages: 254
Subjects: Panjabis (South Asian people) -- British Columbia -- History -- 20th century.; Panjabis (South Asian people) -- British Columbia -- Social conditions -- 20th century.; Rajput (Indic people) -- British Columbia -- History -- 20th century.; Immigrants -- British Columbia -- History -- 20th century.; Transnationalism -- History -- 20th century.; British Columbia -- Ethnic relations.; Punjab (India) -- Emigration and immigration -- History -- 20th century.; British Columbia -- Emigration and immigration -- History -- 20th century.; Paldi (B.C.) -- History -- 20th century.
Description: "Concern about identity and ethnicity is growing in a world that is fast transforming itself into a 'global village'. This has fuelled the need for studies that explore and explain the historical factors and socio-cultural pressures that motivate international migration patterns. Archana Verma's powerful and vivid narrative focuses on a specific community in a particular time-frame, namely the Punjabi diaspora in twentieth century Canada.

Departing from the usual conceptions of Punjabi migrants as submissive participants in Canada's industrial progress, as well as the conventional wisdom that Punjabi immigration was an offshoot of colonial deprivation, this book investigates their role as dynamic settlers.".

"The author concentrates on two localities - Paldi village in Punjab and the Punjabi settlement of Paldi in Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She traces the historical links and ethnic roots of these two village communities situated on opposite sides of the world. Dr. Verma depicts rural peasant migration in terms of the creation of social spaces at home and overseas.

The book demonstrates that the reason Punjabi immigrants remain bound to their homeland revolved around familial and kinship ties and consideration of status. Caste alliances also serve as a source of strength to face racist alienation in the receiving community and to strive for upward mobility in the sending community.".

"Overall, this book is a valuable contribution to the social and economic history of migrations between South Asia and North America during early twentieth century. Sociologists, anthropologists and historians, especially those working on Punjab, will find it of immense interest. This book will also cater to the increasing demand for insightful inquiries in migration and diaspora studies and on issues of identity among migrant communities."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.