About the Book: Boats in a Stormby Kalyani Ramnath examines the legal struggles of Indian Ocean migrants navigating citizenship and identity amid the upheavals of decolonization after World War II. As India, Burma, Ceylon, and Malaya gained independence, traditional migration patterns were disrupted by emerging national borders and citizenship regimes. Drawing on archival research from multiple countries, Ramnath reveals how migrants’ cross-border histories challenge the idea of fixed national identities, highlighting the enduring impact of wartime displacements. The book uncovers overlooked stories that complicate our understanding of empire’s collapse and the formation of new nation-states.
