Indian Immigration, Labor, and Covid-19 in the Gulf

Global Asia Webinar Series – Fall 2020

MIGRATION, GLOBALIZATION, AND COVID-19

WEBINAR1, FRIDAY OCTOBER  23

Indian Immigration, Labor, and Covid-19 in the Gulf.  

Friday, October 23, 2020, 9:00-10:30AM (NY), 5:00-6:30 PM (Abu Dhabi), and 9:30-10:30 PM (Shanghai). Subsequent webinars will be on New York City, Bangladesh, Singapore, and China

Research presentations on middle class Indians in the UAE and Qatar, by Neha Vora (Lafayette College) and on Indian laborers in the UAE, by Andrea Wright (William and Mary), with discussant, Dina M. Siddiqi (NYU-NY).

Here is the Zoom link to the recording, which includes chat text.

The global pandemic has intensified inequalities globally. In the Arabian Peninsula, the coronavirus pandemic has taken a particularly heavy toll on immigrant populations. In the case of immigrants who work as manual laborers and live in dormitory housing, the pandemic has heightened their concerns over unemployment, deportation, and infection. Middle-class immigrants, too, contend with rising unemployment and many have chosen to return to India. In addition, xenophobia is on the rise in Gulf countries as all residents are living in a state of heightened insecurity. In this discussion, Andrea Wright and Neha Vora will explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Indian diasporic communities, their employment, and their everyday lives in the Gulf. We will introduce audience members to our research among different Indian immigrant populations and explore how our interlocutors are affected by state and local responses to the pandemic.

 October 23, 2020 

Time: 9:00-10:30AM

Presenter: Neha Vora (Lafayette College), Andrea Wright (William and Mary)

Host: Dina M. Siddiqi (NYU-NY)

Global Asia Program