How does an immigrant become an ethnic American? And does American society fundamentally alter because of these newcomers? In Ethnic Routes to Becoming American, Sharmila Rudrappa examines the paths South Asian immigrants in Chicago take toward assimilation in the late twentieth-century United States, where deliberations on citizenship rights are replete with the politics of recognition. She takes us inside two ethnic institutions, a battered women's shelter, Apna Ghar, and a cultural organization, the Indo American Center, to show how immigrant activism, which brings cultural difference into public sphere debates, ironically abets these immigrants' assimilation. She interlaces ethnographic details with political-philosophical debates on the politics of recognition and redistribution. In this study on the under-researched topic of the incorporation of South Asian immigrants into the American polity, Sharmila Rudrappa compels us to rethink ethnic activism, participatory democracy, and nation-building processes.

Asian Indians figure prominently among the educated, middle class subset of contemporary immigrants. They move quickly into residences, jobs, and lifestyles that provide little opportunity with fellow migrants, yet they continue to see themselves as a distinctive community within contemporary American society. In Life Lines Bacon chronicles the creation of a community--Indian-born parents and their children living in the Chicago metropolitan area--bound by neither geographic proximity, nor institutional ties, and explores the processes through which ethnic identity is transmitted to the next generation. Bacon's study centers upon the engrossing portraits of five immigrant families, each one a complex tapestry woven from the distinctive voices of its family members. Both extensive field work among community organizations and analyses of ethnic media help Bacon expose the complicated interplay between the private social interactions of family life and the stylized rhetoric of "Indianness" that permeates public life. This inventive analysis suggests that the process of assimilation which these families undergo parallels the assimilation process experienced by anyone who conceives of him or herself as a member of a distinctive community in search of a place in American society.

America has long been a destination, then a launching pad, for newcomers seeking better lives. In recent years, immigration by South Asians to the United States has increased dramatically, doubling between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. Rather than settling in large cities, many are moving directly to the suburbs. S. Mitra Kalita focuses on three recent waves of immigration through the stories of three families: the Kotharis, Patels, and Sarmas. Readers learn why these families decided to leave India, experience the tensions they encountered upon their arrival here, and witness the realities of life in the United States for South Asians. Suburban Sahibs delves into how immigration has altered the American suburb, and how the suburb, in turn, has altered the immigrant. Middlesex County, New Jersey, is home to one of the largest Indian populations in the world outside India. Their mark on the region has been gradual but increasingly visible: auto-repair outlets named after "Deepa" and "Singh, " a thriving commercial strip of sari stores and sweet shops, valedictorians named Patel and Shah. The reception from long-time residents has not been entirely welcoming as Indian American shopkeepers regularly contend with vandalism. Yet, as Indians achieve economic success, their desire for political and social parity grows stronger and their acceptance is less a question and more a reality. Kalita began this book to shed light on the pursuit of the American dream for the estimated 1.7 million Indians living in the United States. What she found instead was that their experiences offer a window into what America has become: a nation of suburbs, a nation of immigrants.

Kamdar traces her family history to her grandmother's birth in a tiny Indian village, and follows family members across the years, from their homeland to the New World. Photos.

Immigrants from South Asian countries are among the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. This work, designed for students and interested readers, provides the first in-depth examination of recent South Asian immigrant groups--their history and background, current facts, comparative cultures, and contributions to contemporary American life. Groups discussed include Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Nepalis, and Afghans. The topics covered include patterns of immigration, adaptation to American life and work, cultural traditions, religious traditions, women's roles, the family, adolescence, and dating and marriage. Controversial questions are examined: Does the American political economy welcome or exploit South Asian immigrants? Are American and South Asian values compatible? Leonard shows how the American social, religious, and cultural landscape looks to these immigrants and the contributions they make to it, and she outlines the experiences and views of the various South Asian groups. Statistics and tables provide information on migration, population, income, and employment. Biographical profiles of noted South Asian Americans, a glossary of terms, and selected maps and photos complete the text.

There are over 1.5 million Asian Indians in the Americas, most of whom have transplanted the religious customs of their homeland. Transplanting Religious Traditions is a study of how individuals, families, and small groups transport and sustain their religious practices and how they eventually construct stable religious institutions suited to the American context. The book centers on the Indian community in Atlanta, Georgia from 1979 to 1988 but relates the study to America's East Indian population as a whole.

Adopting the concept of diaspora to the experience of people of Indian subcontinental origin dispersed in other areas, Nelson uses this paradigm to analyze Indian expatriate writing. In Reworlding, he has commissioned fourteen critical essays that examine such diverse areas of the diaspora as the South Pacific, the Caribbean, Singapore, Britain, North America, and Africa and such representative writers as Salman Rushdie, V. S. Naipaul, Kamala Markandaya, Bharati Mukherjee, and Raja Rao. Underlying this international body of literature is the haunting presence of India and the anguish of personal loss that generate an aesthetics of "reworlding."