Leaving the Land
Indigenous Migration and Affective Labour in India

Follows young indigenous migrants from the hills of Northeast India to megacities like Bangalore and Mumbai.

Dolly Kikon (Author), Bengt G. Karlsson (Author)

9781108494427, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 May 2019

164 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 1.5 cm, 0.35 kg

During the last decade, indigenous youth from Northeast India have migrated in large numbers to the main cities of metropolitan India to find work and study. This migration is facilitated by new work opportunities in the hospitality sector, mainly as service personnel in luxury hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and airlines. Prolonged armed conflicts, militarization, a stagnant economy, corrupt and ineffective governance structures, and the harsh conditions of subsistence agriculture in their home villages or small towns impel the youth to seek future prospects outside their home region. English language skills, a general cosmopolitan outlook as well as a non-Indian physical appearance have proven to be key assets in securing work within the new hospitality industry. Leaving the Land traces the migratory journeys of these youths and engage with their new lives in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram.

Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Wayfinding
2. Light skin and soft skills
3. Departures and returns
4. Interlude
5. Dreams and desserts
6. Talking about method
Conclusion
Afterword
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography [JHMC], Sociology [JHB], Sociology & anthropology [JH], Social interaction [JFFP], Migration, immigration & emigration [JFFN], Social mobility [JFFM], Cultural studies [JFC]