Beyond Indenture brings together original essays by a mix of experienced and upcoming scholars. They reflect, as far as possible, the viewpoints and voices of indentured Indians who exercised agency, resisted and manipulated the colonial labour system to their advantage, and went on to build new lives for themselves overseas following the expiry of their contracts. Some remigrated to other colonies to earn a better wage and escape from debt and other burdens. Among those who chose to remain, women played a prominent role in the struggle for rights, freedom and opportunities, achieving them in ways which often defied or redefined South Asian customs and traditions. Alongside the migrant labourers, 'passenger Indians' made their way to the sugar, tea and rubber colonies, and became clerks, teachers and shopkeepers. After independence, the Indian communities overseas faced newer problems, not least of which were discrimination and marginalisation. Some were forced to return home. Others built upon the experience of struggles in the colonial era to collectively mobilise. Another theme explored is that of the broad alliances of diasporic Indians and Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants who have been recently enabled by the internet to connect with each other and to reconnect with the countries from which they originated.

‘Beyond Indenture is a fitting tribute to the late Brij V. Lal, scholar and individual extraordinaire. It places the history of indentured laborers from India alongside a variety of overseas labor from India. The result is a volume with a good mix of both familiar and unusual topics. The shared theme across the essays is the resilience and grit of people even under exploitative conditions. It makes this a stand-out volume on the subject.'

Mrinalini Sinha - University of Michigan

‘The lives of the millions of plantation and domestic workers, traders, moneylenders, teachers, civil servants, sailors and others who migrated from India in the 19th and early 20th centuries to all continents deserve close and detailed study. This book, with its rigorous, wide-ranging and accomplished scholarship is exciting to read. It is a monumental contribution to the history of indenture and post indentureship studies.'

David Dabydeen - University of Cambridge

‘An insightful and impressive set of essays on many facets of the social lives of South Asian migrant laborers in the colonial and post-colonial eras. A worthy tribute to Brij Lal.'

Sugata Bose - Harvard University

‘Beyond Indenture represents an exciting new chapter in the scholarship on Indian indentured migration. Going far beyond earlier debates that saw indentured laborers either purely as victims of exploitation, or alternatively as wholly free agents, the bracing collection of essays here highlights a range of voices and a diversity of experiences. The book is exemplary in featuring cutting edge scholarship from scholars at different stages of their careers, and from different locations. The collection is expertly edited and hugely compelling.'

Sunil Amrith - Yale University

‘Beyond Indenture brings together complex tales of agency and resistance by the globally migrant labour force since the days of colonial empires. Instead of focusing on the well-known labour exploitation by officials, planters, and other types of employers, this work explores the stories of workers. It covers a wide range of issues, from resistance to derogatory conditions of employment, including the cases of poisoning of employers of domestic servants. Once a subject of crime thrillers, this has become a domain of exploration by historians. It highlights issues of remigration, a fascinating effort of workers to improve their living conditions. The point of domestic intimacy, new forms of families in plantations, caste mobility and stories of Eurasian labourers add a new dimension to the complex historiography of indentured workers. Finally, the book covers the complex post-colonial political developments in societies with complex demographic mosaics due to indentured workers. As an editor, Crispin Bates weaves a synthetic introduction that captures the huge complexities of indentured migration from its inception to its post-colonial legacies and that demonstrates his mastery over this subaltern narrative. The book is a must-read for all those engaged in studying labour history.'

Subho Basu - McGill University