Migration, Cultural Remittance, and the Social Landscape of Kerala

Abstract The social landscape of Kerala—the southwest Indian state—has undergone significant changes in the last century. Migration has been a major factor impelling transformation in different sectors of Kerala society, thereby contributing to the overall development of the state. Among the major destinations of migration from Kerala, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries continued to be a unique space for more than one reason. Apart from historical and cultural links, the GCC countries have geopolitical as well as economic importance to India, and Kerala in particular. This has naturally attracted several migration-related scholarly investigations. There are several studies and reports pertaining to the impact of the Gulf migration on Kerala’s economy and society. Yet, the cultural impact of the remittance boom on Kerala—which started in the 1970s—has not been subjected to rigorous studies and analysis. Hence, this paper tries to deploy cultural remittance as a category of analysis for understanding the changing social landscape of Kerala—with the emergence of new cultural spaces held out by the Gulf-related songs, home cinema, films, religion, cuisine, dress styles, media, and the diaspora literature. The study mainly delves into the text and context of such cultural artefacts with a view to exploring the contours of ‘living Together’ in the ‘Gulf life-world’ in Kerala.