American Karma - Book Report/Review Example

Review of American Karma: Race, Culture, and Identity in the India Diaspora American Karma: Race, Culture, and Identity in the India Diaspora, a book authored by Sunil Bhatia, explores how the Indian immigrants living in United States have been constructing their identity. The book entails critic analysis of existing theories that have attempted to explain how immigrants in a diverse society like in U.S. construct their identity. Bhatia argues that there is need for adequate psychological analysis of how transnational migration has affected issues of identity. Bhatia studies the middle class Indians, who comprises of Professional Indians, and have migrated and settled in United States. His work is an advanced way of relating psychology to diaspora studies and Anthropology. Bhatia links the above areas of study to other studies such as postcolonial theory, feminist studies, history, sociology, human development, and immigration. The book is based on fieldwork and interviews that were conducted on Indian immigrants living amongst the whites in the New England. The book explores the factors that have led to affluence amongst Indians. The Indians are privileged in that they work in hi-tech industry and most of them live a considerably comfortable life. The study expands different fields of study. Additionally, it challenges static identity models that concentrate on a single self. The book identifies multiple selves that some Indians have to adopt as they cross-nation border to live in U.S., a nation characterized by contradicting ethnic and racial identifications. Additionally, the Indians want to associate themselves with their culture though they live away from their homes. The author is able to position himself as part of the Indian diaspora to analyze the different concepts of their culture and their life amongst the American society. He interviews several individuals of Indian origin to gain insights on their understanding of self. Additionally, his work explores how Diasporic Indians have managed to create their personal identity in a diverse culture. By referring to other sociological and anthropological works, Bhatia establishes how immigrants construct their identity differently from other people. Additionally, the academic position of the authors enable him relate the cultural concepts with political views. He draws the author’s attention to different concepts such as feminist ethnography by making use of self- reflexive ethnography. Indian American community is amongst the fastest growing migrant communities in United States. Bhatia blends different theories that deal with identity and ethnography and effectively investigates the involvements of first generation, professional Indians. The author makes use of interviews as well as observations to describe the racial dynamics and politics that characterize the American society. American Karma portrays the Indian American as highly skilled professionals that have joined the American society. They have ventured into fields such as medicine, engineering, science, and lecturers in Universities who have contributed greatly in transforming the American society. The choice of career is largely shaped by the Indian culture that has great regard for science and engineering. This has also shaped social life since most women from Indian origin prefer men in the fields of science and engineering (Bhatia 71-76). The American Karma gives insights on the importance of understanding the identity of the immigrants, which is closely associated with the socio as well as cultural factors. The book explores how the Indians manage to construct their identity amidst the dynamic American society. Though the Indians associate closely with other cultures, they still observe some aspects of Indian culture when making their choices especially in their career life. Bhatia interviews several professionals from Indian origin. The Indian culture is quite different from the western culture. Therefore, Indians face a great challenge when they migrate to United States. Students are most challenged since the education system in U.S. varies greatly from that in Indian countries. Most of Indian immigrants have limited understanding of the West. Additionally, the language difference is great challenge. Therefore, it becomes challenging the students to understand the American system works and manage their lives. However, most of the Indians students, who are often on scholarship and work toward proving to their professors that they are capable of achieving, like students from other cultures. They are able to master English very fast and are easily assimilated into the U.S. education system. The book outlines the features that characterize the model minority myth surrounding the Indian immigrants in United States. Indian Americans consider themselves hardworking. As demonstrated by the interviews conducted. They argue that their success is based on merit. Using this idea, author is able to demonstrate that cultural values as well as hard work can aid the minority to rise above their challenges. Additionally, Bhatia uses this notion to demonstrate how minority communities that have not been successful are viewed as lazy and deficient of appropriate cultural values. This is because most Indians who are in the upper class were in middle class while in lower classes before migrating to U.S. However, they upgraded their academics utilizing the scholarships awarded and propelled to success. Bhatia wars against comparing other minority groups with the Indians since different minority groups living in United States have differing socio economic backgrounds and educational starting point, which affect their success. Another idea that Bhatia explore regards the belief that all Indians have some sort of cultural DNA, which enables them to achieve academically and professionally. The author disputes this notion, which is common amongst Indians in the middle class. The author argues that the Indians in the middle class are unaware of the numerous numbers of Indians doing less paying jobs such as cab driver, in restaurants, and as janitors (Bhatia 91-96). Bhatia argues that Indian Americans who buy the idea that they are born to be successful professions end up achieving less. Additionally, they convey the limited notion of success down the lineage and their children are forced to contest for admission to brand-name Ivy League schools. The aim of the parents is for their children to follow their model and become professions. Another argument in Bhatia’s book is that accepting the model minority myth entails not talking about experiences that are associated with class, color, and sexuality. Although Indian professionals tend to be successful, they still fall victims of racism and other forms of discrimination. The discrimination is in their work places as well as in residential places. However, Indians take racism positively. This is supported by the interviews where majority of the Indians interviewed claimed that discrimination characterizes all cultures and is thus inevitable. They claimed that humans are destined to marginalize others. Indians try to seek political alliances with other groups in U.S especially the white in the upper class. By making use of the concept of diaspora, Bhatia analyzes how Indians have been able to foster the concept identity, community, self, and belongingness. The analysis involves descriptions of how Indian diaspora took advantage of migration laws to establish themselves as skilled immigrants. Bhatia makes use of an analysis of middle class Indian diaspora to depict the change in the meaning associated with class, ethnicity, and race. The responses from the Indians interviewed demonstrate that the way the Indians understand themselves has played a major role in helping them establish their identity. Additionally, the way Indians understand themselves is linked to their past. The book comprises of several experiences of immigrant Indians. The author makes use of these experiences to depict the social background of leading generation of Indian professionals. The stories give details regarding reasons why the Indians migrated into United States and their social background back in India. The stories help the reader gains insight of the social differences that exist between the American culture and the Indians. Most of the interviewees who feature in Bhatia’s book have had difficulties understanding American culture. One major difficulty is in the way services are offered in the restaurants within U.S. An example is that Prashant who once went to a restaurant and asked for a coke. When the server added ice before adding the drink into a cup, Prashant thought he was diluting the drink since this was unfamiliar to him. In most cases, the Indians ended up getting humiliated or embarrassed. This was more so if the people serving them were unaware of cultural differences (Bhatia 201-207). The book explores various psychological theories that relate to the challenges facing the Indians in America. One such theory is the Dialogical Self Theory (DST), which focuses on self, and dialogue. In the book, Bhatia explains how the Indians achieve self-identity in the complex unfamiliar American society. While self refers to what takes place within an individual dialogue is used in reference to an external occurrence that involve two or more people. In the book, the concept of self-dialogue is used to describe how the external happenings influence what goes on within an individual. Since self is impacted by several self-positions, dialogical relationships often occur within self (Bhatia 52-56). Bhatia contends that the social economic settings play a major role in determining development of self. This is because some voices have a greater say in different issues as compared to others. However, she agrees that there are conflicting voices in oneself, which negotiate and disagree at times. At times, this results in identity crisis since each of the voices within oneself wants to be heard. Sociocultural constrains often results adoption of positions such as ridicule, agreement, disagreement, or contradiction on the self-perspective. For ethnographic studies, Bhatia studies Indian groups that “was made up almost exclusively of engineers, doctors, computer scientists, programmers, management consultants, architects, biologists, geneticists, biochemists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers” (Bhatia 59). However, the author acknowledges existence of other Diasporas amongst Indians who comprise the lower classes. From the analysis, the author establishes that the Indian Diaspora was quite similar in structure to the American structures. Since he is a member of the Indian Diaspora under scrutiny, Bhatia was able to interview a large number of the members of the Indian diaspora. Indians in the diaspora group move across different cultures. The author considered them a right group to use in studying the concept of self. In-depth interviews helped Bhatia to determine how the Indian “diasporic families interpret the physical and emotional terrain of self, “other” and home as they move back and forth among multiple cultural locations” (Bhatia 60). By in-depth interview, Bhatia meant seeking deep information as well as knowledge, which may concern personal issues and experiences as well as ideologies and perspectives regarding matters such as culture (Bhatia 70-78). Bhatia acknowledges the increased need for research on diaspora. This has resulted to disorderly use of descriptive terms in relation to process such as migration and travel. Researchers have also taken different approaches in their attempts to analyze theories regarding transnationalism and diasporic identity. Such theories have led to consideration of Diaspora as a condition other than a situation. By using the concept of diaspora, Bhatia (75) analyzes how concepts such as community, identity, and self are connected. Here to retain redefines diaspora as migration to a new location where you settle down but still long to be elsewhere, In case of diasporic Indians, they have traveled and settled in United States but appear to have some longing for their homeland. This is depicted by the desire to retain their identity as Indians. Bhatia argues that diasporic are created by different situations such as slavery, ethnic strife, indentured labor, and political strives. In case of the Indian diasporic, Bhatia explains that it emerged after 1965 when professional Indian migrants initiated diasporic communities in different cities across United States. The concept of Indian diasporic has made it hard for some Indian immigrants to “define the concept of Indianness, India or Indian culture” (Bhatia 81). According to Bhatia “Indianess, or Indian culture in the diaspora, is obviously connected to the physical map of the Indian homeland, although no single point in that vast geographical location can be used to define it” (81). Irrespective of the great diversity that characterizes the American society, the Indians consider themselves different and more similar to Indians in their homeland. Dilip, one of the participants in Bhatia’s study argued that diasporic Indians are different from the Americans in that they are more oriented toward family and social life (Bhatia 81). Bhatia gives the example of Hindu Mexicans who still consider themselves as Hindu and not Mexicans. Bhatia attributes such assertions to the hardships and challenges face by this group, which forced them to establish their own identity. The author acknowledges that most literature have focused on men when discussing immigration. However, Immigrant women also had their own experiences. Use of models of acculturation is the major cause of generalization of the process of migration. Additionally use of acculturation theories has often led to labeling of minority groups of immigrants as others. Most Indian women construct their identity based on the experiences they obtain from their mothers. Therefore, when they migrated into the America, where they were required to adopt the culture of professionalism, it was quite difficult. This is because they wanted to retain the Indian traditional role of motherhood and wife and be professional women. Conclusively, Bhatia’s book explores how the Indian culture has contributed to the construction of the Indian community in diaspora. The culture encourages Indians to focus on fields of science and engineering. Although Indians have not been in U.S for a long period, they have established their identity as a Diasporic group that has produced great profession especially in the field of science and engineering. However, they retain some aspects of their cultural background, which influences their career choices and way of life. Works Cited Bhatia , Sunil. American Karma: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Indian Diaspora. New York: NYU Press, 2007. Print. Read More