Kala Pani Crossings #4

This 4th event of the "Kala Pani Crossings" cycle will focus on the figure, the history, and the concept of jahaji bhai/behen and, more particularly, on its representations as well as its fraught post-indenture legacies. We are interested in engaging with the contemporary labour regimes and the precarious, gendered patterns of migration they produce : to what extent do these regimes reproduce Kala Pani inherited models in terms of everyday labour and migration patterns ?
As the trans-oceanic labour migrations have morphed into many different avatars in the 21st century, this Kala Pani #4 conference seeks to raise the question of the legacy of indentureship and of its historiography through the figure, the history, and concept of jahaji bhai/behen, to explore similarities and divergences between patterns of labour migrations.

We invite contributors to send their proposals (a 250-word abstract, title, author’s name, a 150-word bio, and contact information) to the co-convenors’ Kala pani email address : kalapanipondicherry2027[at]gmail.com. The deadline for submitting proposals is May 1, 2026 ; notification of acceptance will be issued on June 15, 2026.

It is to be noted that the conference will be an in-person event only. Speakers will be expected to find their own funding for travel and accommodation.

The academic cycle of events "Kala Pani Crossings" seeks to interrogate the 19th century migrations from India during which over one million Indians were transported between 1834 and 1917 to sugar colonies under the system of indentured labour in order to meet the demand for cheap, unskilled labour after the abolition of Atlantic slavery in 1833. Substantial work has been produced over the past 30 years by scholars in the Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius, Reunion Island, South Africa, etc., gradually granting more visibility to the field. Yet, it is a chapter that has long struggled to be included within the framework of Indian history.

To know more about the Kala Pani Crossings cycle

— 

Le cycle de recherche « Kala Pani Crossings » vise à interroger les migrations indiennes au XIX^e siècle, au cours desquelles plus d’un million d’Indiens furent transportés entre 1834 et 1917 vers les colonies sucrières dans le cadre du système de travail sous contrat, afin de répondre à la demande de main-d’œuvre peu chère et non qualifiée suite à l’abolition de l’esclavage transatlantique en 1833. Au cours des trente dernières années, des travaux importants ont été réalisés par des chercheur·es des Caraïbes, des Fidji, de Maurice, de La Réunion, d’Afrique du Sud, etc. offrant de plus en plus de visibilité à ce domaine. Pour autant, ce chapitre a longtemps été mis à l’écart des études sur l’histoire indienne.

En savoir plus sur le cycle Kala Pani Crossings