Women and Indenture Experiences of Indian Labour Migrants

By: Marina Carter

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Women and Indenture offers a unique insight into the experiences of Indian women migrants under the indenture system which operated from the 1840s until the early 20th century. The largest recipient of Indian indentured migrants was Mauritius, where a majority of the population are today descended from these labourers. Guyana, Trinidad, Fiji and Natal were important recipients of indentured labourers. The French colonies also received some migrants under this scheme. The volume makes extensive use of archival records to describe the working and personal lives of women under indenture. The book demonstrates the key contribution of women to the economies and societies where they settled and provides important insights into their struggles to overcome discrimination and inequality both in their personal relationships with male partners and families and vis-a-vis the colonial state.