A Lone Islet or A Center of Communications? Shanghai in the Indian National Army Movement

Abstract

Students of modern Chinese history, and modern Shanghai history in particular, tend to view Shanghai as having been a lone islet during the Pacific War, when it was cut off from other parts of the world. This article, however, argues that Shanghai was still well connected to areas under the control of the Japanese throughout the war. Using the Sikh community in Shanghai as a case, it demonstrates how the Indian National Army used both a Japanese-initiated military highway and the long-existing Indian diasporic network in Southeast and East Asia to facilitate a certain kind of mobilization. It further sheds light on how the Sikhs in Shanghai were influenced by and responded to the Indian National Army’s endeavors.

Keywords

Shanghai / Indian National Army / Sikh diaspora / mobilization

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2017 Higher Education Press and Brill