| Summary: | This thesis seeks to examine Indian political development in South Africa
during the period 1933-1939, with specific reference to the emergence of the
Colonial-Born and Settlers' Indian Association and its influence on the course
of Natal Indian politics. The primary aim of the thesis is to examine the role
played by this Association in obstructing the Union government's assisted
emigration plans and colonisation scheme. To achieve this aim it was necessary
to examine the establishment of the Association and to determine whether the
Association fulfilled its main objective.
After a brief exposition of early Indian immigration, the activities of the
successive Agent-Generals are examined in the context of their relationship
with the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) and the Association and how these
diplomats articulated the aspirations of their government. The Agency attempted
to secure improvements in the socio-economic position of the South
African Indian community. In terms of various directives from the Indian
government it was clear that they emphasised the value of negotiations and
compromise and aggressively suppressed the strategies of those who opposed
this approach. This attitude surfaced particularly in its relationship with
the Association relative to the Association's stance on the colonisation
issue. Notwitstanding the disabilities experienced by the Association in its
fight for the equal status of its supporters and for the right to remain in
South Africa, the Association is seen to have succeeded in the realisation of
its fundamental objective.
The thesis also seeks to establish that there was a need for the creation of
the Association and later after it had served its function the need for its
dissolution. In this process the author also deals with the general activities
of the Association and the crucial negotiations conducted with the Congress to
the point of amalgamation in 1939 when the Association and the NIC amalgamated
to form the Natal Indian Association. The significant influence of the Agency
in the process of negotiations is emphasised.
There are three main themes in this study. The first reflects the manner In
which the moderate leadership articulated the aspirations of their supporters.
Secondly, it demonstrates the internal differences, sectionalism and the class
struggles within the Indian organisations. , The third theme seeks to reveal the
often devious roles played by the respective governments, their intransigence,
connivance and particularly the apathy of the government of India. === Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1992.
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