The enigma of co-ethnicity: the parallel lives of the two waves of Indians in Melbourne

© 2016 Dr. Surjeet Dogra DhanjiThis thesis examines the complex and evolving relations between two waves of contemporary Indian migrants living in Melbourne. The first wave comprises skilled migrants who arrived in 1965-1990, and the second wave, international students who arrived as temporary migrants in 1990-2010. Both waves are of the same ethnic background and the broadened Indian middle-class status. The spate of highly publicized attacks on Indian students in Melbourne in 2008-2009 remained a focus of interest for the Indian and Australian governments, politicians, academics and the Indian community for over a year. Whereas the ramifications for Australian international export and employment within the sector were of paramount concern, the relations between the two waves who are co-ethnics and the impact of these events on the Indian community has been neglected. This thesis addresses this gap in knowledge and examines the mediating factors that have led to social tensions between the two waves as they settle in Melbourne. Guided by Portes & Zhou’s (1993) inter-disciplinary segmented assimilation paradigm in migration studies, this thesis analyses both inter- and intra-group relations, as well as relations with the Australian host society and its institutions, including other ethnic communities. This analysis based primarily on in-depth qualitative research fieldwork conducted in Melbourne and the Punjab yielded one hundred in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with members of waves, second-generation Australian-Indians and various Indian ethnic institutions. The rich narratives reveal personal descriptions and insights of the complexities of migrant experiences in key dimensions during the settlement phase. The thesis argues that for existing ethnic communities to provide psychological and economic support, the size, quality and class of migrant arrivals influences their integration experiences and in turn the existing ethnic community. Although both waves shared similar motives for migration, the mode of migration for the second wave − fuelled by co-ethnic migration agents and private Vocational Education and Training (VET) colleges − has had unintended consequences in the VET sector with spill-over effects into their segmentation in ‘immigrant jobs.’ The second wave’s alleged “unbecoming” behaviour at public cultural events, and their media publicised protests following the attacks on Indian students in 2008-2009 have adversely increased ‘visibility’ of Indians in Australia. The insights of both waves reveal that the very co-ethnic ties that pull them together also draw them apart, as seen in the efforts of the first wave to disassociate and socially distance themselves from the second wave. The fact that the two waves meet tangentially but lead parallel lives also points to class consciousness among the two waves, a notion that has not been previously discussed under the segmented assimilation paradigm. Developing on the segmented assimilation paradigm, this thesis therefore offers an expanded understanding of how different migrant waves impinge existing immigrant groups