The Anglo-Indians of Odisha – The Origins and Naming of a Mixed-Race Community

Abstract

Anglo-Indians are a mixed-race Indian minority community, perhaps one of the oldest community of mixed descent in the world. The Anglo-Indians are the only Indian community,that is defined in the Constitution of India and are identified by their European surnames, which signify their European descent from their male progenitors. The word 'Anglo' denotes their  mainly  British  descent,  and  ‘Indian’  refers  to  the  Indian  ancestry  of  this community. Though the prefix ‘Anglo’, indicates a relation to England or the English people and implies that the community descended exclusively from the Welsh, English, Scottish or the Irish, it is in fact misleading as in the course of history, the male line could have been from any European country. This article explores the ethnic origins of the Anglo-Indians and their eventual formation into a community and is contextualized in the historical attempts of Anglo-Indians to build a presence in politics and the public sphere.