Westerners in Search of a Better Life in India

This report introduces research examining Westerners who spend long periods of time in the city of Varanasi in northern India year after year. Here they claim to have found a more meaningful and interesting life than in their homelands. The study discusses the phenomenon within the framework of lifestyle  migration arguing that it is important to pay attention to transnational lifestyles that are not elitist but nevertheless based on Western privilege. In addition, the study examines communality among the Westerners arguing that they form a tight, yet fluid, community in Varanasi. The Westerners lead highly mobile lives, yet the community is very significant for them in a particular place and at a particular time. Keywords: communities, lifestyle migration, India, Westerners, transnationalis