Paper short abstract:

Issues of Ethnicityo Culture and Identity amongst the minority Malaysian Indian Diaspora

Paper long abstract:

The minority Indian community in Malaysia is the third largest after the Malay and

Chinese communities. According to the 2000 census, they formed7.7 percent (1.7 million) of the

total Malaysian population. The majority of the Malaysian Indians are Tamil Hindus from South

India. The others are Malayalis, Telugus, Sikhs, Punjabis and other North Indians. This shows

that the Malaysian Indian Diaspora is characterized by diversity and divided by ethnicity,

language, religion, culture, caste and social class. The present Indian diasporic community in

Malaysia is the result of large scale immigration of labour mainly from South India by the then

colonial govemment to work in the rubber plantations.

Since Independence several state policies especially in the areas of education, economy

and culture have been formulated to forge national unity amongst the multi-ethnic population of

Malaysia. However, the preferential treatment for the Malay Bumiputera community, the rise of

fundamental Islam, the Islamisation of state policies and the Malay cultural dominance have all

impacted negatively towards national integration.

The continued neglect and marginalization of the Indian diasporic community have led

them to reassert their rights and redefine their identities. The protest organized by the Hindu

Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) in November 2007 had a significant effect on the psyche of the

working class Indian.

It is in this context that this paper will explore the issues of ethnicity, culture and identity

and discuss how this diasporic community is negotiating and redefining itself in the dynamic,

political, economic and social environments in Malaysia.