The Dark Underbellies of the Littles: A History of the Indo-Guyanese Diaspora, Race and Identity

Author

Kiran J. Baldeo, CUNY City CollegeFollow

Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Thesis

Department

History

First Advisor

Anne Kornhauser

Second Advisor

Laurie Woodard

Keywords

Guyanese, Indo-Guyanese, Little Guyana, double diaspora, immigration, identity formation

Abstract

This historical analysis explores Guyanese immigration to the United States as well as the development of the Indo-Guyanese ethnic enclave, “Little Guyana,” located in Queens, New York. This thesis moves beyond the romanticized image of ethnic enclaves in New York City and argues that while perhaps picturesque on the surface, Little Guyana is the result of the fraught history of British colonialism, slavery, and indentured servitude and the sociocultural resilience of the Indo-Guyanese people. Using Little Guyana as a window onto the Indo-Guyanese American experience this thesis explores the ways in which racial tensions in Guyana have taken shape in the United States, how the Indo-Guyanese assert their distinctness from the Indian diaspora and how the community selectively draws from and rejects aspects of their past to create their double diaspora identity.

Recommended Citation

Baldeo, Kiran J., "The Dark Underbellies of the Littles: A History of the Indo-Guyanese Diaspora, Race and Identity" (2020). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/813