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The expansion of British merchant shipping in the age of steam was stimulated by the employment of crews from the Indian subcontinent. Among the lowest paid in the industry, Indian seafarers were pioneering international workers who made up nearly a third of the British maritime workforce in 1937. Labelled generically as 'lascars', their employment on contracts resembling indenture reinforced their status as 'coolies', promoted the deskilling of maritime work, and instituted racialized work hierarchies in merchant shipping, which endure to this day within and beyond the industry. This article presents a brief account of the living and working conditions of subcontinental seafarers, explores the attitude of the British unions to their employment, and highlights their crucial contribution to the expansion of British imperial shipping and more generally to the maritime dimension of British imperial power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on how Brazilians in London, who moved on the migratory project of working, saving money and return, readapt their aims after a period in the host society. Therefore, the text aims to understand the limits of analysis on Brazilian immigration based on the theoretical framework push-pull, which highlight economic reasons as the main points to define Brazilian migrants. Through participative observations and interviews, it was possible to comprehend how Brazilians once introduced new priorities in their lives, and thus reshape their lifestyle in London, their initial idea of working/saving money become somehow secondary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]