Educational Aspirations in Midwestern Pakistani Immigrant Households. 1965-1999

• In Event: Researching Race and Ethnicity: Methods and Applications in the 20th Century

Abstract

Objectives or Purpose
The purpose of this paper is: 1. historicize Pakistani American educational culture in the Midwest (1965-1999), 2. analyze the influences of religion, gender roles, and class-based educational aspirations and practices, and 3. offer a pre-9/11 historical perspective on Muslim immigrant educational experiences.
Perspective(s) or Theoretical Framework
Grounded in a transnational postcolonial framework, this paper historicizes Pakistani American educational culture in the Midwest (1965-1999), and explores how colonial ideals of education, such as English language fluency, meritocracy, and moral discipline, were transmitted and reformulated in the lives of Pakistani immigrants in the U.S. Shaped by Cold War migration policy and imperial hierarchies, academic success stood for both cultural survival and moral duty. The analysis situates these educational ideologies before the 9/11 securitization of Muslim identity.
Methods, Techniques, or Modes of Inquiry
Drawing on historical research and migration studies, this paper examines the evolution of Pakistani American educational discourse from 1965 to 1999, using archival and community sources. Through textual analysis, mosque publications, weekend school syllabi, and parental communications in the Urdu language print media were analyzed, framing education as both religious and community duty. The study examines how Pakistani immigrants navigated class tension, religious duty, and ethical vigilance predating 9/11 surveillance of Muslim identity.
Data Sources and Evidence
Using a wide range of sources, this paper examines Pakistani Muslim immigrant experiences in relation to education, gender, and religion. The key literature includes insights into postcolonial girlhood, parental control, and Muslim women’s negotiation of modesty within academic environments in the U.S. It references foundational studies on Muslim communities and educational ambitions to provide essential background on immigrant experiences in regions like the Midwest. The analysis also incorporates South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) insights into Pakistani Muslim community life during the period.
Results
Pakistani immigrants viewed education as a moral, religious, and upward class mobility endeavor that was shaped by their professional class origins. Families emphasized Islamic education, mosque discourse, and discipline routines that centered academic success as a religious duty and a cultural validation. Gendered expectations viewed daughters as symbols of modesty and scholastic excellence, and sons projected professionalism and masculine success. Race, religion, and class privilege intersected to shape a self-regulating model of success predating 9/11 surveillance narratives. Education emerged as a space for moral negotiation, identity formation, and subtle defiance against marginalization.
Scholarly Significance of the Work
This paper contributes to immigrant education history by centering Pakistani professional-class families who constructed moral education systems rooted in migration experiences and class-based values. It critiques post 9/11 reductionism that how diasporic educational cultures were shaped by social isolation and self-discipline than state surveillance. The study reframes immigrant success by arguing that educational aspirations are shaped by deeper forces such as colonialism, gender ideologies, and geopolitical forces. Finally, the paper pushes for diversification of the geographic scope of South Asian American studies to include the Midwest, shifting away from coastal-centric narratives.

Author

• Itrat Sultan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign