The Punjabis In British Columbia

Contrasting immigrant experiences in remote regions and metropolitan centres of Canada.

The result of an exhaustive analysis of the beliefs and attitudes among three generations of the Sikh community - and having conducted over 100 interviews - Nayar highlights differences and tensions with regards to the role of familial relations, child rearing, and religion.

Archana Verma's powerful and vivid narrative focuses on a specific community in a particular time-frame, namely the Punjabi diaspora in twentieth century Canada. The author concentrates on two localities - Paldi village in Punjab and the Punjabi settlement of Paldi in Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She traces the historical links and ethnic roots of these two village communities situated on opposite sides of the world. Dr Verma depicts rural peasant migration in terms of the creation of social spaces at home and overseas. The sub-text of this book is a revealing inquiry into the dynamics of caste, family and kinship networks and the resulting reciprocal relations between the two communities.

This edited volume discusses how the Punjabi transnational experience has impacted Indian transnationalism and led to a diverse diaspora.

Departing from the usual conceptions of Punjabi migrants as submissive participants in Canada's industrial progress, as well as the conventional wisdom that Punjabi immigration was an offshoot of colonial deprivation, this book investigates their role as dynamic settlers.".

A superbly illustrated book that succinctly describes the social history of the Sikh population in Canada, focusing on their struggles, hardships, and perseverance to live in British Columbia. -BC Historical News