Element of romanticization : sensory and spatial locations in the narratives of Indian diaspora in Australia

The “element of romanticization” or the constant yearning for ones roots—sensory and spatial locations—has become a phenomenon for different immigrant groups. As it is the politics of sensory and spatial locations that act as one of the core features that join Indian Diaspora across continents. The short stories analysed in this paper attempt to provide an understanding of the variety of interpretations of the sensory and spatial locations. We can note that in most of these stories the immigrants try to bring the Indian subcontinent to Australia with them by using myths, legends, historical facts, etc. These immigrants besides using myths also display a proudest possession, which reminds them constantly of home. These objects or icons or elements from the past, which the immigrants carry with them as cultural products are used as helpers in making a sense out of the alien situation presented before them. The paper concludes with the assertion that Indian-Australian short stories act as an important expression of the Indian way of life in Australia and may also effectively help in removing misconceptions and better understandings of local conditions thus encouraging fellow Australians to see differently within the cultural context of India and Australia.

Conversations on belonging: women of Indian heritage speak

In this Special Section we highlight existing and emerging scholarship on Belonging in countries with white majority cultures. We argue that ‘belonging’ is a familiar and well researched concept that continues to be relevant today because it is central to the joy and vitality of life that enables us to inhabit multiple worlds. Drawing on intellectual and personal journeys in USA, Canada and Australia, the contributors of ‘Indian’ heritage raise questions that urge us to unsettle hierarchies of belonging in western societies. They build on interdisciplinary theoretical and empirical insights by thinking about the potentialities of bodies for interdependence in a place we call home.

Influence of ocean currents on long-distance movement of leatherback sea turtles in the Southwest Indian Ocean

Leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea spend most of their life in oceanic environments, whose physical and biological characteristics are primarily forged by sea current circulation. Water mass movements can mechanically act on swimming turtles, thus determining their routes, and can differentially distribute their planktonic prey. By integrating satellite tracking data with contemporaneous remote-sensing information, we analysed the post-nesting journeys of 9 leatherbacks with respect to oceanographic surface conditions. Tracked turtles showed large variations in migration routes and in final destinations, apparently without heading for specific foraging areas. Their complex tracks spread over wide regions around South Africa. Leatherbacks were greatly influenced by the currents encountered during their movements, with their trajectories displaying curves or revolutions in the presence of (and in accordance with) rotating water masses. An impressive similarity was observed between large parts of the turtle routes and those of surface drifters tracked in the same regions. Finally, leatherbacks remained associated for long periods with specific oceanographic features, which most probably offered them profitable foraging opportunities. These results agree with previous findings in showing a strong influence of oceanic currents and mesoscale features on the movements of South African leatherbacks, and additionally identify the role of current-related features in causing the observed route variability and in determining high-quality foraging hotspots for leatherbacks moving in the ocean.