Indian Africa: Minorities of Indian-Pakistani Origin in East Africa

Edited by Michel Adam. Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania each have minorities of Indian and Pakistani origin, concentrated in the major cities of Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Mombasa, and Kampala but also found in smaller urban centres and remote rural townships. They play a leading social and economic role in business, manufacturing, and the service industries, and make up a large proportion of the liberal professions. Divided into multiple socio-religious communities, they are united by a shared sense of meta-cultural identity. The book paints a broad picture of these communities, including changes that have occurred since the late 1980s. Contributions explore questions of race and citizenship, national loyalties, cosmopolitan identities, local attachment, and transnational networks. Drawing on anthropology, history, sociology, and demography, the volume analyses how past and present shape this multifaceted population’s sense of belonging.