Grey street in Durban

In this paper, I wish to explore the life in the mid-19th to 20th century in the Durban-based Indian Casbah and

its enduring legacy. In exploring the Casbah life in Durban, I wish to pay special attention to the narratives of

the people who either were associated with it and had living memories of it, or remember the many stories

passed on to them by their families.1 The central question that I explore in analysing these narratives is:

does Casbah in the diaspora enable the diasporic community to reconnect with their Indian origins or does

it orient them away from the romantic attachment to the places of their origin in India? In other words, is

Casbah a symbol of a new settlement in which the diasporic community finds lasting meaning and legacy, or

does it evoke memories and myths about their origins in India?

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