Disrupting Caste through Migration? The Origins of Care Labour Migration from Kerala (India) to Germany in 1964

Abstract

Today, in Germany, the recruitment of healthcare workers from Kerala, India, is often seen as part of the solution to the challenges faced by the strained healthcare system. However, the origins of these developments stem from a scheme by German clergymen in the 1960s aimed at challenging the caste system in Kerala. Building on historical migration research, the paper explores how caste, religion, and education in Kerala resonated within Catholic networks in Germany. Post-war Germany’s economic boom drove the expansion of care facilities, creating a gendered demand for labor, where women were expected to view nursing as a ‘calling.’ To address labor shortages, Catholic orders began recruiting women through Christian networks in Kerala. The German state became aware of these internal church developments and approached the responsible clergyman. By 1964, the “Nirmala Association,” a hybrid initiative operating between canon and state law, facilitated the recruitment of Christian ‘Indian girls’ from ‘low-caste backgrounds’ for state-run care institutions. Remittances caused social upheaval for thousands of family members in joint families, challenging migrants’ transnational identities and their caste identities between life in Germany and their families in Kerala. Exploring historical contexts and community narratives provides a framework for examining how caste has influenced diasporic communities and its effects on current migration patterns.