Indo-Caribbean Ethnicity and Political Integration

This chapter focuses on the differences in the ethnicity of Indo-Caribbean groups and the impact on their political integration. The chapter aims to comparatively demonstrate that Indo-Caribbean ethnicity is dissimilar in terms of ethnic loyalties, creole nationalism, voting behaviour and participation in government coalitions. It argues that the debate about Indo-Caribbean citizenship and national identity has been limited since it has excessively focused on ‘national integration by means of Creolisation’ while ignoring the impact of the Indian diaspora, the agency of the substantial segments of the Indo-Caribbean communities and the participation in government coalitions. Moreover, differences in environmental conditions, colonial background and political history across the three societies have also contributed to differences in Indo-ethnicity. These differences across the region most likely had a varying impact on the political integration of the communities. The arguments contradict the assumption that Indian ethnicity is the same everywhere, especially when communities seem to be closely related geographically and historically.