Neither here nor there: Transnational South Asian families in the United States

• In Event: Global and Transnational Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 7. Migration Experiences II

Abstract

South Asian families are of particular interest due to their growing population, currently standing as one of the largest immigrant groups in the United States. This population is unique, relative to other immigrant groups, as they comprise of highly educated and skilled workers who are motivated to migrate to the United States in search of higher education and better job opportunities and ultimately reside here with their families. However, since the 1970s and 1980s, there has also been a strand of working-class migrants in the United States, similar to the diaspora historically living in the UK.
Past scholarship on immigrant groups have largely considered questions of cultural assimilation and adaptation and recognizing the mechanisms that aid or prevent such processes. In terms of family, education has been considered as a pathway to success, whether that is cultural, financial or social. I theorize that class becomes a significant factor in the integration process, with diaspora South Asians activating networks of like-minded individuals with similar backgrounds, and creating a niche for themselves distinct from other racial groups in the United States. I situate social capital as a private good circulated within the family but also look at how it can operate as bonding capital with other families in the same strata. I seek to investigate this link qualitatively, using semi-structured interviews with South Asian immigrant parents.

Author

• Shinjini Roy, Louisiana State University