Coolie

Rare card · No. 59616

Coolie () is a term historically used for low-wage labourers, typically those of Indian descent in the Caribbean and parts of Africa. The term was first used in the 16th century by European traders across the Indian Subcontinent. In the 18th century, it more commonly got passed down and referred to the generation who migrated as Indian indentured labourers to the Caribbean in the 19th century. During the British colonial era, the term was adopted and officially used during the transportation and forced employment of Indian labourers via employment contracts on sugar plantations formerly worked by African slaves. The word has had a variety of negative connotations. In modern-day English, it is usually regarded as offensive. In the 21st century, coolie is generally considered a racial slur for Indians in Oceania, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas (particularly in the Caribbean (varying)). The word originated in the 17th-century Indian subcontinent and meant "day labourer"; starting...

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