The political lives, identities, and influence of the Indian diaspora have been much discussed in recent years. This paper will contextualise current political trends within a longer historical trajectory, and explore the genealogies of contemporary mobilisations, tensions, and transnational networks. It will consider the emergence and evolution of various expressions of ‘long-distance nationalism’, and suggest that these might be understood as part of a global political movement underpinned by multidirectional flows of ideas, but also set in the context of a particular diasporic consciousness.
