Trajectory of social mobility: Asian Indian children coming of age in New York City

Abstract

Contextualized within constructivist paradigm and the phenomenological hermeneutic framework, this minority performance ethnographic study on social mobility and second-generation Asian Indian immigrants examines the intergenerational and intragenerational social mobility of children post-1965 Indian immigrants in the metropolis of New York. This study explores two issues: first, to what extent the current challenges in the US economy hinder upward social mobility of the children of Indian immigrants. Second, how parental messages of taking advantages of both worlds contributes to second-generation Asian Indians' success or failure in American society. While economic and financial globalization facilitated mobilization across national borders the recent economic crisis poses tough challenges for Indian immigrants and their children. Findings indicate that positive ethnic structure, social mobility and the cultural capital provide the younger generation with an adaptive advantage to the meet challenges of mainstream society. The study concludes that despite recent constraints of US economy, in general, there is significant economic gain from the first to the second generation. In the case of second-generation Asian Indians economic and non-economic forms of social mobility compliment each other.

Keywords:

• second generation
• Asian Indian
• social mobility
• economic gains
• social capital
• human capital
• globalization