Paper short abstract:

The paper discusses the composition and local relevance of the emergence of newly settled Indian ethnic enclave economies in the coastal area of Gerona.

Paper long abstract:

Mainstream theory on ethnic enclaves was initially developed in the United States using data collected from specific minorities (Cuban, Korean and Chinese migrants) and the reevaluation of previous sociological theories (middleman minority theory and market labor segmentation theory). However, in Europe (and particularly in Spain) some authors deny the existence of ethnic enclaves due to the relatively short time of the migrant settlements and the comparatively small scale of the ethnic entrepreneurial communities (Haller, 2000; and Arjona y Checa, 2006). In less than a decade, however, the volume of immigrant populations has increased dramatically, and some of them show a strong entrepreneur character. This is the case, for instance, of the Indian community (of Sind and Punjabi origin), which has massively settled and expanded their business in different tourist localities thorough the Gironde coast (Catalonia, Spain). Both their economic strategies and the community characteristics (class and ethnic resources) respond to the definition of ethnic enclave. On the other hand, both Indian and local shopkeepers alike increasingly struggle to attract clients and maintain their income levels, suggesting a latent conflict that might readdress theoretical interpretations regarding assimilation and integration, social mobility, internal inequality and spatial concentration. The paper addresses, through the ethnographic case study of the Indian community settled in the Catalan coastal line, fundamental theoretical issues regarding the notion of ethnic.