South Asian Social Construction

Michael, Shelly and Manpreet’s presentation on Sikh immigration to Canada was a thorough historical overview of all the push and pull factors that resulted in Sikhs migrating from India. The presentation covered the three major periods of immigration and the push and pull factors that saw Sikhs wanting to migrate. In doing so, the group looked at some of the structural inequities that made it difficult for people to migrate. Michael looked at some of the struggles faced by Sikhs in preserving and maintaining their culture in Canada by shedding light on the Sikh identity and some components of their religion that often are misconstrued in the media. As such, this review will discuss some of the main topics covered in the presentation, and highlight and raise some questions that

She argues that omitting the discussion of race as a motivating factor in Reena’s murder is a symbol of how denial of racism is a systemic failure in Canada (Jiwani, 183-187). She continues by explaining how arising from our colonial past, racism has to continually be “proven” over and over again, meaning race is continually being both informed by and derived from our society (Jiwani, 182-183). When the media omits racial information, it gives power to racism by leaving it out the discussion, and makes it unrecognizable in the public eye by not naming it. This is one of the subtle ways racism is internalized and naturalized (Jiwani, 183-188). This shows how colonial “othering” of racialized people, especially women, continues to be reinforced by leaving the discussion out of the media in Canada, and how we must recognize and name racism as a way to break this cycle so as not to devalue a life by reinforcing hegemonic notions of

ABSTRACT: Uma Parameswaran is a versatile writer-critic who has attempted to capture the trauma and dilemma of the diasporic self. Drawing on her first hand knowledge of the white collar, professional and academic diaspora in Canada, she attempts to voice their dilemmas and confusions, and above all, their feeling of rootlessness, their fear that having been uprooted once, they will never again be able to take root anywhere, despite their best efforts. The angst of the diaspora, striving to retain their identity even as they struggle to assimilate and become one of “them”, forms the core of Uma Parameswaran’s oeuvre. She

In the personal essay, “Two Ways to Belong in America,” by Bharati Mukherjee, there are two different cultural views between sisters, Bharati and Mira. Bharati and Mira grew up in India, but both moved to America. The sisters have the same cultural background, but have different cultural views now. They have different views on the current debate over the status of immigrants. They both have lived in the United States for 35 years. Bharati married someone from Canada, Mira married an Indian student. “In Iowa City in 1963, I married a fellow student, an American of Canadian percentage,” both Bharati and Mira married fellow students. (Mukherjee 70) “We dressed alike, in saris,” Bharati and Mira used to dress alike, but Bharati changed the way she dressed, Mira did not.

This article analyses the issue of race, ethnicity and immigration in the United States. Primarily focusing on the first and second generation of West Indians in the United States. The article takes on board the factors which may be influencing the immigrants experience and perspectives of their identity. These factors include topics such as assimilation, acculturation, social mobility and interaction. Waters conducts a qualitative study on the West Indian immigrants and their teenage children within New York. The study involved 83 interviews at various inner city schools. Research concludes that the West Indians are capable of balancing out their identities as West Indian and American. Water raises awareness that immigrants are constantly

The Indigenous communities have operated in an organic family structure where there is a sense of community and everyone is contributing, however with the new family. Andrea Smith`s article is a good illustration on what social structures affect individuals to migrate. In some cases, individuals leave their country in the pursuit the ‘American Dream’, while others are forced to. My family circumstances of leaving their country to migrate are a good example of what Smith would describe the process of Orientalism. Orientalism is when individuals are displaced from their homeland and migrate somewhere else. When such individuals come to a new country they are viewed as the ‘other’ by dominant groups. They are often perceived as evil and a threat which justifies wars and capitalism. Similarly, my parents had to migrate because of a civil war that took place in their homeland. They are often judged because of the colour of their skin and religious beliefs and not viewed as equal to the rest of society. Although we have the right to practice our religion freely and have the right to have freedom of speech, we are still oppressed and discriminated against

These communities are filled with racism from the perspective of education, jobs, and housing. Theme one focuses on the creation of identity through what Rajiva calls boundary events. Boundary events are experiences and memories that occur throughout an individual’s life that can be used to guide them in identifying points of cultural alienation. South Asian girls in Canada are both viewed as well as look at themselves as a racial and cultural minority in society. One perspective of looking at this is by exploring the adolescent years and the experiences they had when they were growing up that made them believe they were a minority in Canada as they grew up. Returning to the discussion about boundary events, these events were common for the subject group that was being interviewed in this study. For example, instances where they feel welcomed by other students in school and in a split second feel like an intruder after someone calls them by using a nickname accompanied known to be associated with their country of origin. To say the least, culturally specific restrictions are a major issue not only later in life, but during adolescence where a sense of identity is crucial for the

In a country like Canada, where multiculturalism and diversity are the primary foundations for its unique identity, one can see how important being unified with equality and equity is. Although in a very diverse population, it cannot be helped to have some people who still have prejudice because of lack of education and cultural competency. This can be seen through what minority groups of people are going through their everyday lives. In Zadie Smith’s novel, “Stuart”, she identifies that making it to a new country where everything else is different, staying who you are and what you are is important because if all else fails, you can always go back to your roots that made you as a person. Losing one’s identity alters the way an individual project

Intersectionality theory recognizes the complex nature of societal discrimination so it attempts to explain or make sense of the human traffic situation of the indigenous women. Intersectionality is a method of studying the relationship between multiple dimensions of social relationships and subject formations. It seeks to understand and explain the dynamic interaction of class, gender, and ethnic/racial forms of domination and subordination, as well as the different ways in which each dimension is experienced by people separately as well as through the other dimensions (Satzewich & Liodakis, 2013):50. The argument from the intersectional theorist is that race/ethnicity, along with class and gender are bases affecting individual and/ or group

South Asians have long since endured the brunt of intense prejudice at the hands of Canadians and the Canadian government. A most prevalent discrimination against the Chinese was seen in Western Canada, mainly British Columbia. In the mid 1800s, it was the general consensus among Canadians that South Asians could not become part of mainstream culture, nor did they belong

The thesis will employ certain literary critical theories such as the Postcolonial theory, Race theory, and Cultural theory to discuss the issue of cultural displacement and the role of the Minority family in saving their children’s cultural identity. American Indian Stories by Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa), Out Of Place: A Memoir by Edward Said, and The Woman Warrior: A Memoir of a Girlhood among Ghost by Maxine Hong Kingston will be employed as primary sources to support my argumentation. Secondary sources that listed in the references will be used to enrich the thesis.

Neelam Mulchandani in her essay say that “the works of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, one can paint a rough picture of the South Asian diasporic experience in the United States. This experience, common to all diasporic communities, is created by the constant oscillation between contradictory conceptions of race and culture, time and geography. As a result of existing in this “in-between” space, the South Asian woman living in America develops an altered consciousness in order to relate to her South Asian culture while at the same time adapting to her current American

This paper will help to analyze the information collected from a series of interviews I have conducted with several women in the in the Richmond Hill area. I talked to about five immigrants, Indo- Guyanese women living in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York for a few hours each. In order to protect these women identity I have used

This paper will help to analyze the information collected from a series of interviews I have conducted with several women in the in the Richmond Hill area. I talked to about five immigrants, Indo- Guyanese women living in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York for a few hours each. In order to protect these women identities I

In the twenty-first century, the world has been turned into a global village due to advanced technology and globalization that have helped to serve the current economic and social needs. Lee (1966) has defined migration as ‘a permanent or semi-permanent change of residence’ (49). The spatial mobility is dictated by factors such as the area of origin, destination, obstacles, and personal interests. A global city is marked by cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity due to immigration and settlement. Capitalism invoked the concept of dominance, power, and racial prejudice within a capitalist society. The idea of the class system was reinforced, whereby the capitalist class has control over the means of production while the working class is exploited for labor. Class conflicts exist between the workers and the capitalist system. The capitalist society created a division between white and black workers, reinforcing racial oppression and exploitation (Conrad et al., 2005; Bowen, 2008). Toronto city comprises of approximately 50% people of color and immigrants. The plight of ethnic minorities in Toronto is addressed by Bauder (2012) who insists that they are characterized by high rates of unemployment, poor access to social services and poverty due to issues of prejudice. These issues have shaped state policies in political systems, although underrepresentation of racial minorities is still apparent in the Canadian political sphere (Bauder, 2012). The new Sino-African ties have