Politics of Displacement and Shipboard Fatality: Analysing the Mental Health of Indentured Labourers

The studies of the indentured labourers’ voyage to the colonial plantations have often focused on the issues of caste and religion, gender rifts, colonial exploitative practices, and in general, the living habits of the indentured labourers. Meanwhile, the medical analysis of the voyage has primarily addressed onboard mortality rates, confirming that the vessels were a significant breeding ground for numerous diseases. Shipwrecks and epidemics, common occurrences on most maritime voyages, contributed to the perception that travel to both the Indian Ocean and Caribbean islands was dangerous. A few studies have reported that shipboard fatality rates decreased over time due to improved medical examination techniques and onboard facilities. In comparison, there has been less research into long-distance travel causing insanity and trauma and frequently leading to suicide. Though the archival records contain data on people who committed suicide throughout the voyage, the influence of the shrinking of physical space on travellers’ mental health is significantly undermined. This chapter will examine the displacement of coolies from land to ship for months as an example of the shrinking of space through archival research and analysis. This constriction in physical space would next be researched to see how it affected the travellers’ minds. Furthermore, the chapter will explore the various factors contributing to male and female suicides. This research would thus investigate the mental health of the indentured servants during the voyage.