Framing South Asian American Studies

Question 1

In what ways South Asians are a part, yet apart within the Asian American paradigm?

Rajiv Shankar

Answer 1

South Asians are part of the Asian American group but often feel left out because their history, culture, and experiences are different from others in the group

Question 2

What are the primary reasons for the dominance of the Asian American platform by East/Southeast Asians?

Answer 2

• Earlier migration
• Larger population
• More visible in media and politics

Question 3

Why do many South Asians feel uncertainty about their place in Asian American Studies?

Bhalla and Dhingra

Answer 3

Their history and experiences are different from East Asians.
Being a smaller group with different backgrounds maks it harder to connect with Asian American studies

Question 4

Why were South Asians historically not central to the formation of Asian American studies?

Bhalla and Dhingra

Answer 4

They were overlooked due to early immigration patterns, lack of organized political movements, and a focus on East Asian experiences

Question 5

What event significantly increased South Asian Americans’ visibility within Asian American studies?

Answer 5

1965 Immigration Act

Question 6

How did the 1965 Immigration Act shape the class composition of South Asian Americans in the U.S.?

Answer 6

Favored skilled laborers, altering class composition by attracting more educated and economically privileged class of South Asian immigrants

Question 7

Why do Bhalla and Dhingra argue that class privilege should be more central in South Asian American studies?

Answer 7

Shapes access to education, job opportunities, social mobility