Towards a geography of transnational spaces: Indian transnational communities in Australia

Abstract

Few studies oil migrant transnationalism have explicitly adopted a geographical perspective, despite the widespread use of spatial metaphors in the literature and the potential advantages that a geographical approach offers. In this article, the geography of the transnational spaces of Punjabis, Kannadigas and Indo-Fijians is analysed. Punjabis have constructed complex transnational spaces that are virtually global in scale. Kannadigas are engaged in transnational activities linking their places of residence with south India. Indo-Fijians have emerged as a regional transnational community stretching across the Pacific Ocean. On the basis of their experiences, a consistent terminology is suggested and a typology of different models of transnational spaces is developed. This typology provides a tool to compare different transnational communities beyond the Indian experience. It can be seen as a preliminary step in the direction of a more theoretical approach that links the geography of migrant transnational spaces with sociological debates on social space.