An Investigation into South Asian Adversity in British Columbia

Abstract

South Asians have made monumental contributions in Canada. The abundance of South Asian history in British Columbia (B.C.) describes the adversities experienced by Punjabis in the early 1900s. Mewa Singh was a monumental figure who challenged inequalities, and his death incited significant political, social and cultural boundaries in the heart of Vancouver, B.C. The controversy involving the dismissal of the Komagata Maru, William Charles Hopkinson's involvement with immigration laws and the execution of Mewa Singh incited greater understanding of the social and cultural ramifications at this historical time. Implications resulting from these events are examined though a cultural-psychological framework.