The African Diaspora in India

This book explores the understudied and often overlooked subject of African presence in India. It focuses on the so-called Sidis, Siddis or Habshis who occupy a unique place in Indian history. The Sidis comprise scattered communities of people of African descent who travelled and settled along the western coast of India, mainly in Gujarat, but a <p><em>List of figures. Acknowledgements.</em> Prologue <b>1. </b>Sidis: A Historical Perspective <b>2.</b> Links Between Africa and India in Antiquity <b>3.</b> Institution of Slavery: Origins and Variations <b>4. </b>Slave Trade in Travel Accounts <b>5.</b> History of Sidis in South Asia <b>6.</b> Three Sidi Kingdoms in India <b>7.</b> Acculturation and Change in the Sidi Community <b>8.</b> Sidi Contributions to Art and Architecture <b>9. </b>Abolition of Slavery and the Plight of Freed Slaves <b>10.</b> Sidi Women: Past and Present <b>11. </b>The Diasporic Experience <b>12.</b> Sidis Today. Bibliography. Glossary. Index</p>