1st Edition
The African Diaspora in India Assimilation, Change and Cultural Survivals
List of figures. Acknowledgements. Prologue 1. Sidis: A Historical Perspective 2. Links Between Africa and India in Antiquity 3. Institution of Slavery: Origins and Variations 4. Slave Trade in Travel Accounts 5. History of Sidis in South Asia 6. Three Sidi Kingdoms in India 7. Acculturation and Change in the Sidi Community 8. Sidi Contributions to Art and Architecture 9. Abolition of Slavery and the Plight of Freed Slaves 10. Sidi Women: Past and Present 11. The Diasporic Experience 12. Sidis Today. Bibliography. Glossary. Index
Biography
Purnima Mehta Bhatt is Professor (Emerita) of History, Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Hood College, USA, where she has taught since 1977. She completed her BA and MA in Indian History from the University of Delhi, did post-graduate work at Harvard University and was awarded her PhD in African history from Howard University. Her current research interests focus on the historical and contemporary roles of women in Asia and Africa; global perspectives on women, power and politics; women’s leadership in peace movements; the impact of globalisation on women; and the African presence in India. Among her publications are Scholars’ Guide to Washington D.C. for African Studies, Reminiscences: The Memoirs of Shardaben Mehta, Shardaben Mehta: Una Mujer Exceptionale en al India de su Tiempo, a chapter in ‘Ethno-Ornithology: Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Cultures and Society’ and Her Space, Her Story: Exploring the Stepwells of Gujarat (2014). Her most recent publication is a chapter in Women’s Leadership in Chaotic Environments (2016). She has lectured extensively across the world, is recipient of many fellowships and honours, and has presented numerous papers at conferences.
