Mauritians
Flag of Mauritius
Total population
c. 1.6 million
(Mauritian ancestry and citizenship worldwide)
Regions with significant populations
 Mauritius1.3 million[1]
 United Kingdom43,000 (2020 estimate)[2][3] [4]
 Australia24,329[5]
 France16,229[6][7][8][9][6]
 Canada15,900[10]
 South Africa14,043[11]
 Belgium6,097[12]
 United States2,983
  Switzerland2,873
 Ireland2,640
 Spain2,009
Other countries combined5,609
Languages
Religion

Mauritians (singular Mauritian; French: Mauricien; Creole: Morisien) are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a multi-ethnic society, with notable groups of people of South Asian (notably Indian), Sub-Saharan African (Mauritian Creoles), European (White/European Mauritians), and Chinese descent, as well those of a mixed background from any combination of the aforementioned ethnic groups.

History

Mauritian Creoles trace their origins to the plantation owners and slaves who were brought to work the sugar fields. When slavery was abolished on 1 February 1835, an attempt was made to secure a cheap source of adaptable labour for intensive sugar plantations in Mauritius. Indentured labour began with Indian, Chinese, Malay, African and Malagasy labourers, but ultimately, it was India which supplied the much needed labourers to Mauritius, mainly sugar cane workers. This period of intensive use of Indian labour took place during British rule, with many brutal episodes and a long struggle by the indentured for respect. The term applied to the indentured during this period, and which has since become a derogatory term for Mauritians of Asian descent, was coolie. The island soon became the key-point in the trade of indentured labourers, as thousands of Indians set forth from Calcutta or Karikal; not only did they modify the social, political and economic physiognomies of the island, but some also went farther, to the West Indies.

Indo-Mauritians are descended from Indian immigrants who arrived in the 19th century via the Aapravasi Ghat in order to work as indentured labourers after slavery was abolished in 1835. Included in the Indo-Mauritian community are Hindus (48.5% of the Mauritian population) and Muslims (17.2%) from the Indian subcontinent. The Franco-Mauritian elite controlled nearly all of the large sugar estates and was active in business and banking. As the Indian population became numerically dominant after independence from British rule and the voting franchise was extended, political and economic power shifted from the Franco-Mauritians and their Creole allies to the Indo-Mauritians.

The meeting of a mosaic of people from Europe, India, Africa and China began a process of hybridisation and intercultural frictions and dialogues, which poet Khal Torabully has termed "coolitude".[13] This social reality is a major reference for identity opened to otherness and is widely used in Mauritius where it represents a humanism of diversity.

Subsequent to a Constitutional amendment in 1982, there is no need for Mauritians to reveal their ethnic identities for the purpose of population census. Official statistics on ethnicity are not available. The 1972 census was the last one to measure ethnicity.[14][15] Statistics Mauritius compiles data on religious affiliation every ten years during census. [16]

Demographics of Mauritius

Ethnic groups of Mauritius
Ethnic group[17] Percent of population
Indo-Mauritian
 
 67%
Creoles
 
 28%
Sino-Mauritian
 
 3%
Franco-Mauritian
 
 2%
Ethnic groups of Mauritius[17]
Ethnic group  % of population
Indo-Mauritians 67%
Afro-Mauritians 28%
Sino-Mauritians 3%
Franco-Mauritians 2%

Mauritian diaspora

The Mauritian diaspora consists of Mauritian emigrants and their descendants in various countries around the world, mainly Great Britain (United Kingdom), Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Ireland and Belgium.

Given the island's importance for international shipping routes and limited opportunities locally, Mauritian Creole people settled internationally before some of these countries were founded as nations. For example, Mauritians settled on the continent of Australia before federation of the nation.[18] Their ancestors and more recent migrants are now known as Mauritian Australians. Aboriginal people from islands south of the continent likewise settled in Australia.[19]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mauritians.
Look up Mauritian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ↑ Ministry of Finance & Economic Development (January–June 2012). "Population and vital statistics Republic of Mauritius" (PDF). Government of Mauritius. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  2. ↑ "Table 1.3: Overseas-born population in the United Kingdom by country of birth and sex, January 2020 to December 2020". Office for National Statistics. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2022. Figure given is the central estimate. See the source for 95% confidence intervals.
  3. ↑ Erwin Dopf. "UN UK". un.org. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  4. ↑ Erwin Dopf. "Migration Observatory UK". migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  5. ↑ https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/mca/files/2016-cis-mauritius.PDF> >
  6. 1 2 Erwin Dopf. "Présentation de Maurice". diplomatie.gouv.fr. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  7. ↑ http://www.amasydney.net/
  8. ↑ "The Mauritius-born Community: Historical Background". Australian Government, Department of Immigration and Border Protection (2011 census). 19 November 2013. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  9. ↑ Erwin Dopf. "Presentation of Mauritius". diplomatie.gouv.fr. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  10. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Canada />>
  11. ↑ "United Nations Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs" />>>
  12. ↑ "Wachtregister asiel 2012-2021". npdata.be. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  13. ↑ Khal Torabully, Coolitude: An Anthology of the Indian Labour Diaspora (with Marina Carter, Anthem Press, London, 2002) ISBN 1-84331-003-1
  14. ↑ La Redaction (5 June 2008). "A critical appraisal of the Best Loser System". L'Express (Mauritius). Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  15. ↑ M. Rafic Soormally (10 September 2012). "Debate on Best Loser System". Le Défi Media Group. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2015-04-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. 1 2 "The World FactBook - Mauritius", The World Factbook, CIA, retrieved July 12, 2018Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  18. ↑ Museums Victoria (2017). "Mauritius. Immigration history from Mauritius to Victoria". origins.museumsvictoria.com.au. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  19. ↑ Maggie Walter (2006). "Tasmanian aboriginal diaspora. In: The companion to Tasmanian History". utas.edu.au. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
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