Soul-searching in the Chinese and Indian diasporas

Abstract

The Chinese and Indian diasporas constituted two of the most massive migration flows in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Yet they were seldom compared. This commentary explores one of their key differences, namely, how they handled their lost souls. For the Chinese migrants of that period, what they dreaded most was dying alone in a foreign land and becoming a stray ghost. Their fervent wish was for their bones and souls to be reunited with their forebears in the ancestral graves. Much effort was made individually and collectively to ensure that this final wish would be realized. However, for the Hindu migrants, the same dread induced quite a different response. Their physical remains were of little importance to them. There was no urgency in seeking a return of their souls to their ancestral land. Their fervent wish was for their souls to be ritually purified and reunited with their ancestors in the sacred cosmos. This commentary further examines how these cultural differences also bear on how Chinese and Hindu migrants differ in their remittance behavior, network patterns and homeland ties.