The Arrival of Indian Indentured Labourers in Mauritius : A Study of the First Migration

This paper examines the early phases of Indian indentured labour migration to Mauritius between 1834 and 1842. The indenture system emerged following the end of slavery across the British Empire in 1833. Plantation economies were then grappling with a severe labour crisis. To address this crisis, colonial officials and private agents recruited labourers from India, particularly the highly populated areas of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Contractual agreements transported these migrants to Mauritius, where they primarily worked on sugar plantations under restrictive and often exploitative conditions. This study argues that the first phase of migration, which lasted from 1834 to 1842, created the institutional and demographic conditions that allowed the indenture system to grow.