Nepalese Diaspora in India: An Epistemological Contestation

Abstract

Diaspora as a concept has come a long way and includes voluntary as well as forced migration. The Nepalese diaspora particularly in India has been understudied. Nepalese are dispersed almost all over the world. India remains one of the key destinations for many of them since the historical period. Scholars are working in this domain found to be more inclined to describing rather than conceptualising Nepalese diaspora in the context of Nepalese diaspora in India. Many of the literatures have described it assuming all Indian Nepalis as a part of it. This article tries to comprehend the context of Nepalese diaspora delineating the history of Nepalese migration outside Nepal. It presents the prevailing debate regarding the status of Nepalese diaspora in India. This article presents that all Indian Nepalis are not a part of Nepalese diaspora because Indian Nepalis are not all descendants of immigrants from their homeland Nepal. This article will be useful for those working in the field of migration and diaspora studies, ethnicity and public policy, as well as history, anthropology, and international studies. The paper is based on the review of research literatures published in different journals and edited books. Besides, observation method was employed.