People, information and culture: Locating forms of capital by Afghan Sikh refugees in India through ICTs

Shelly Pandey and P. Vigneswara Ilavarasan

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2019, vol. 146, issue C, 331-338

Abstract: Based on an ethnographic study of Afghan Sikh refugees in New Delhi, India, the present paper explores the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially social media, in their lives and practices to survive after the forced migration. The unique identity of being Afghan Sikhs in India is largely unknown, as the notion of Afghans is attached to the Muslims and Sikhs to the Indians. The extant knowledge on literature on their narratives of forced migration and struggles of re-settlement is inadequate. The present paper employs the concept of ‘capital’ by Bourdieu to argue that ICTs enable refugees to gain different forms of capital in their journey of survival in a new country post forced migration. The paper highlights the importance of ICTs being equal to the physical infrastructure for the refugees. The digital practices provide them with a collectively owned capital in the form of relevant information and experiences of being refugees. The visibility enabled by the ICTs has contributed to their social, economic and symbolic capitals.

Keywords: Afghan refugees; India; Forced migration; Information and communication technologies (ICTs); Forms of capital; Bourdieu (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A14 E22 F22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:146:y:2019:i:c:p:331-338

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2019.06.005

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