“Indian” music in the diaspora: Case studies of “chutney” in Trinidad and in London

This paper examines the musical genre “chutney” as an Indian‐Caribbean tradition, and as an expression of identity in both Caribbean and British contexts. The tradition was shaped by historical processes which brought together Indian, Caribbean and British elements. It has developed as a diasporic “Indian” tradition in the pluricultural contexts of the Caribbean. Diverse influences can be traced in contemporary chutney. In different geographic contexts, however, the tradition expresses a specific Indian‐Caribbean identity.