(Re)creating ‘home’, (re)defining identity: transnational migration of South Africans of Indian descent to Australia.

Abstract

Research on international migration of South Africans of Indian descent to Australia is limited. This study therefore set out to understand the experiences of transnationality, identity, and ‘home’ of this group of people. As people move from one country to the next, their identity and notion of ‘home’ are disrupted, it is thus these aspects which are examined in this thesis. Narrativity serves as both the theoretical framework as well as the methodological approach in this study as it provides a holistic account of migrant’s experiences, gives attention to the temporal and spatial dimensions of their story, and understands that participants are active agents who are given a ‘toolkit of options’ which they use to shape their own lives. In-depth interviews were conducted to solicit biographical information on participants’ journeys from South Africa to Australia, their settlement experiences and how they negotiate their identity and ‘home’, while simultaneously having strong transnational networks with South Africa. The key findings indicate that amongst South Africans of Indian descent, the main driver of migration is the wellbeing of children. Therefore, a trend of ‘family migration’ is created where the nuclear family immigrates to permanently settle in Australia. While participants are able to integrate into the social structures of Australia, it is difficult to form meaningful social connection with Australians, thus South Africans of Indian descent tend to form their own social networks amongst themselves which allows them to practice their culture and express their identity. Transnational networks of care are also important to enable South Africans of Indian descent to integrate into Australia. Thus, South Africans can adapt into the new society while concurrently having strong family ties to South Africa. Since the social interaction with Australians and other immigrants reveals that the identity of South Africans of Indian descent is racialised, they take an active stance to challenge the many taken for granted racist ideologies surrounding their identity. In Australia, South Africans of Indian descent experience varying degrees of overt, covert, institutional and cultural racism, which masks ‘white’ domination and ‘white’ supremacy that suppresses people of colour. The identity of South Africans of Indian descent is multiple and fluid. They come to identify themselves as South Africans, living in Australia, with an ancestral ‘home’ in India. These multiple identities show their attachment to multiple places and people. They attribute haven and hearth to their Australia ‘home’, while South Africa imbues the ideology of ‘heart as home’, suggesting that despite not living in the country any longer their belonging and identity is still linked to being South African.