Over 20 million Indians do not live in India, either as people of Indian origin (PIOs) or non-resident Indians (NRIs). This paper looks into the double diaspora situation of Indians who are descendants from indentured labourers in the Fiji islands but who, due to the political situation in Fiji, decided to migrate to New Zealand. The data come from a series of interviews conducted with first and second generation Fiji Indians in Wellington, New Zealand. The focus is on the discursive construction of identity in this double diaspora situation, particularly the role that ‘place’ plays in this process. The key concept investigated is that of HOME. Taking a dictionary definition as its starting point, the analysis of the interview data shows that none of the places construed as HOME as part of their identity is unproblematic for the community. In particular, the meaning components ‘ancestral home’, ‘country of origin’ and ‘country of residence’ contribute to the dynamic social realities of different members of the community. The data also reveal that there is an additional meaning component not included in the dictionary definition, namely the idea of the ‘colonial country as cultural home’.
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