Indian Immigrant Women in the U.S.

This doctoral thesis is an ethnographic study of Indian immigrant women in the construction of identity and experiences in San Francisco, California. The struggle of the self within the paradigm of being immigrants and often ‘misrecognition’ as “Indian” rather than “Indian American” highlights the dissonance and accommodation in the lives of ethnic minorities in the region.

This book is an interesting study of Asian Indian immigrants in Chicago. It provides a historic and legislative background to Indian immigrants in United States. Seen as ‘the wealthiest and most highly educated of all recent immigrants,’ the author focusses on the interpersonal interactions within the community that provides a framework to their assimilation in this country.

Shilpa Dave’s book focuses on representations and stereotypes of Indian immigrants in American television and films through accents, external or public behavior in the United States. She examines popular television show’ The Simpsons’ in its characterization of Apu’s ‘Brown Voice,’ and caricature of the quintessential Indian in the American mind. She studies Peter Seller’s Movies, depiction of Gandhi, Indian Gurus in the American Marketplace and the Harold and Kumar Hollywood Film series to comment on the relationship between ‘power, accent’ in the American media. She studies the assimilation mechanism of Indian immigrants in improving their English and accents, in order to ‘fit in’ and not be ‘too different’ in order to ‘gain access in the political, economic, and social power.’

This book studies the ‘social, cultural and employment’ landscape for immigrant women in the United States. Particularly interesting in the book is the allusion to the career of nationally renowned Indian immigrant Harvard Educated Lawyer, Ms. Sheila Murthy, whose law firm was recognized as the World Leading U.S. Immigration Law Firm by international law firm rating agency Global Chambers. Despite their high education and wealth, the authors comment on the ‘relative invisibility’ and ‘silence’ of immigrant women as a ‘recognizable group’ in the dominant American psyche, or the ‘public cultural image.’ They allude to the stereotypical racial overtone of viewing immigrant women as bearing ‘anchor babies’ to gain access to ‘residency’ and ‘public benefits.

Author Sheba George’s book is an ethnographic research on the lives and experiences of Indian immigrant women from Kerela, Southern India, who are trained nurses, living and working in the United States. Contradicting traditional norms, these women are the primary bread earners in the family, while the father takes on a more subversive role within the household. The unusual ‘reversal of gender order’ in an immigrant family and their challenges of assimilation at home, work and community is very astutely researched.

Arpana Sircar focuses on the life and experiences of Indian immigrant women who are employed and working in Dallas, Texas. Her study is an excellent study through fieldwork research on the lives, challenges and the interplay of race and ethnicity in the public and private domain of a minority community in the United States. By creating multiple identities, straddling two worlds and expectations (both Indian and American), the women negotiate complex racial and gender roles.

'Suits', is an autobiographical story of a young Indian immigrant woman, Nina Godiwalla, who won the prestigious Wall Street summer internship at JP Morgan. It is a personally rich and humorous tale of a young ethnic minority woman negotiating in a high powered, class conscious, sexist, elitist environment in New York. The book highlights the trials and ambitions of Nina, who on one hand is seeking the respect and pride from her Indian parents, and on the other, her own path to identity and assimilation in the privileged few and highly divisive world of investment banking

This book explores post-colonial writings by contemporary Indian and Afro-Italian women on their lives, history, language, and impact about their common experiences of diaspora. Particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of well-known feminist writer Bharati Mukherjee’s, Jasmine, the complexities of adaptation of a young girl from Punjab, who arrives in the United States. So also is the writings of Sunetra Gupta’s, Moonlight into Marzipan, which deconstructs western myths and mythology to dominate and oppress minorities and marginalized groups.

Meena’s book, ‘The Shock of Arrival’ is about her life and works; an Indian immigrant from Kerela, growing up in Khartoum, North Africa, explores gender and culture through her poems.

Stories about Indians in India and America. The story, A Temporary Matter, is on mixed marriage, Mrs. Sen's is on the adaptation of an immigrant to the U.S., and in the title story an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors.

The son of Indian immigrants born in America wants to fit in with fellow New Yorkers, but his family is unwilling to let go of their traditional ways.

Bengali Americans -- Fiction.
Bengali (South Asian people) -- United States -- Fiction.
Contents:
Pt. 1. Unaccustomed earth -- Hell-heaven -- A choice of accommodations -- Only goodness -- Nobody's business -- Pt. 2. Hema and Kaushik. Once in a lifetime -- Year's end -- Going ashore.