Social Discourse, Comfort Zones and the Globalising World: South African Indian Emigrant and Resident Doctors on the Need to Migrate

• Main Author: Anand Singh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies 2014-08-01
• Series: Migracijske i Etniĉke Teme
• Subjects: professional migrants; medical practicioners; Indian; South African; globalisation
• Online Access: http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/192742
• ISSN: 1333-2546; 1848-9184

This paper is about conversations and opinions of Indian medical personnel who are working outside and inside South Africa. It covers the views of two groups: of medical general practitioners and medical specialists. The first group, with whom interviews were done as casual conversations individually and collectively, were employed outside the country. They were in the age group beyond 60 years of age, while the group inside the country were below the age of 40 years and were represented by the individual interviews with their close relatives. While the older group saw themselves as being bestowed with the twin advantages of experience and wisdom, the younger often articulated feelings that were in juxtaposition to one another. They expressed their appreciation for the comfort zones in which they were established but felt at odds with themselves when they compared their situations with their counterparts working in other countries, especially in the Middle East and the developed English speaking countries (especially the “big five”: USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand). However settled, and no matter how they felt about themselves, the conversations with the members from each group were fraught on both sides with degrees of ambivalence, regret, success and confidence about their futures.