A colonial diaspora is a group of people that live outside of their ancestral homeland because their ancestors migrated as part of a colonial-era practice. Depending on the source, the term refers to either people originating from the colonizing group or those whose ancestors were shifted under colonial pressure.[2][3][4][5]
See also: European emigration |
In ancient times, the Greek Empire established colonies around the Mediterranean and as far away as Northwestern South Asia.[6][7]
During the colonial era that ended after World War 2, Europeans migrated around their global empires, with significant groups settling in the Western Hemisphere and Australasia.[8][9]
See also: South Asian diaspora |
Over 1 million Indian people were taken as indentured servants to other parts of the world during the British Empire, primarily to the Caribbean and Southeast Africa.[10][11] Because they had left South Asia before the establishment of the current independent nations of that region, they were often denied citizenship in South Asia,[12] and because they were also sometimes expelled or otherwise treated like non-citizens in their host countries, some of them or their families were forced to migrate twice.[13]
Postcolonial diasporas are similar to colonial diasporas in that both groups often migrated in a way that addressed the global demand for labor.[14][15] Postcolonial diasporas tend to split into those who have migrated as part of a "post-national" clique that has economic dealings with multiple countries, and those who have migrated out of a sense of exile.[16]