Stories of Migrations:

The Chinese Diaspora in the Indian Ocean and Beyond

 

This three-day interdisciplinary conference offers a space of encounter and exchange around the rich and diverse stories, histories and memories of Chinese diasporas, in the Indian Ocean and beyond. There can be no single narrative of Chinese movements across the watery space that is now recognized as a creolized and cosmopolitan “cradle of globalization.” For example, in Mauritius, where the conference will be held, the main figure associated with Sino-Mauritian history is that of the boutikie sinwa [Chinese shopkeeper]. However, as historian Jocelyn Chan Low underlines, Chinese presence in Mauritius can be traced to as far back as the 1700s, and members of the diaspora contributed to the development of the island as enslaved persons, free agricultural workers, indentured labourers, traders and artisans. Additionally, this presence was not homogenous, but encapsulated various regional origins and languages, such as Hakka and Cantonese.

 

While the main focus of this conference will be the Chinese diaspora in the Indian Ocean – including in Mauritius, where the conference will be held – we welcome presentations that adopt a transnational and comparative perspective.

 

We encourage contributions, in English, French or Mauritian Creole, from the disciplines of literary studies, comparative literature, cultural and cross-cultural studies, history, anthropology, film studies, food studies and education, among others.  

 

Some of the interrogations we hope to explore together are as follows: How are these various waves and forms of Chinese migration to various parts of Mauritius, and the Indian Ocean, remembered (or not) today? How do literary and creative texts – such as novels, poetry, songs and films – offer productive ways to narrate and engage with shifting Sinophone identities? How can the realms of both tangible and intangible heritage, including language, food, music, games and clothing be both important spaces of memory and evolution? Building upon recent work in archipelagic memory studies, including the relevance of a “multidirectional memory” framework in the Indian Ocean, how can we think of Sino-Mauritian histories in productive conversations with other parts of Mauritian history, such as those linked to continental Africa and the Indian subcontinent? More broadly, how might the history of the Chinese diaspora in the Indian Ocean enter into dialogue with its Atlantic and Pacific counterparts? For example, how does the symbolic value of key diasporic items (e.g. red envelopes), foods (e.g. rice) and materials (e.g. porcelain) vary across contemporary geographical contexts?  

 

Additional possible topics include (but are not limited to):   

 

-       History and patterns of Chinese diasporas

-       Chinese Diasporic literatures

-       Bicultural, hybrid and negotiated identities within the Chinese diasporas

-       Shifting Sino-Mauritian identities

-       Engagement with forms of tangible and intangible heritage

-       Resonances and dissonances in Chinatowns across the world

-       Symbolism in key diasporic items

-       Relationship between Chinese diasporas and the ancestral homeland

-       Role and contribution of women in the Chinese diasporas

-       Generational differences in self-perception and expression of Chineseness

-       Concept of “Chineseness” within the process of creolization or/and acculturation

 

This conference will be held over three days. The first two days will feature academic presentations as well as ample time for Q&A and discussions. The third and final day is an “un-conference day” that will invite participants to go beyond the traditional conference room, in order to explore the relevance of the ideas discussed within the real world. While details remain to be finalized, we expect our “un-conference day” to include a field trip to Chinatown in Port-Louis, including a lunch of typical Sino-Mauritian food.