Growing Up in the Diaspora: South-Asian Children

In India today, more than 50% of its population is below the age of 25 (Censusindia 2017). Asian Indian communities settled in different regions of the world add to this statistic. While some of the diasporic children may come from “traditional families,” with two Indian parents, others may be the offspring of diverse partnerships, including biracial, bicultural, bilingual, and/or religiously interdenominational families. Although these youths share a common heritage, each of them encounters a different set of understanding about what it means to grow up Asian Indian. The articles featured in this special issue examine the lived experiences and perspectives of Asian Indian American youth. Because they are diasporic, they must navigate multiple cultures, learn two or more languages, negotiate divergent religious practices, observe different rules at home, follow dietary restrictions, or adhere to distinct familial mores. The scholarship in this volume illuminates and explicates the process of cultural identity construction for youth in this community (Dowling 2011). As the research indicates this process is challenging for youth and the adults that attempt to mediate this social, emotional, and cultural experience.

Most often, research energy and resources are rallied when a problem is detected (e.g literacy levels, STEM, second-language-acquisition). There is a paucity of studies that explore the Funds of Knowledge or Community Cultural Wealth of underserved groups that have generally high academic achievement, economic solvency, and few social challenges (e.g., substance abuse). This compilation delves into the cultural richness of a community that is often ignored because it does NOT pose a threat to the norms of school and society.

This is not to say that there are no difficulties for Asian Indian American children in school and society. They are exoticized because of their accents. They are belittled because of their Eastern religion. Their traditional style of dance is mocked. Their comfort foods disparaged, and their many varieties of music, singularly dismissed. When observed, their cultural norms and socialization process are ogled or “otherized.” Even schools that are considered safe havens can be sources of symbolic violence and micro-aggressions caused by bullying, verbal disparagements, or culturally deprecating curricula (Iyengar and Smith 2016).

The editors for this special edition solicited scholarly contributions — creative and empirical — that explore the lived experience of Asian Indian children throughout the world. The Journal is pleased to present the scholarship of specialists in various areas of the Indic experiences. All contributors are academics with lived experience with the cultures of India. The articles reveal the challenges they face and strategies for survival. The authors reveal what is negotiable (e.g., relationships, observances) for the diasporic youth and what is not (e.g., worship, deference to elders). How do they construct their bicultural identities within the spaces where they live and grow (the school, home, temple, and the host country)?

Contribution may be studies of children’s writing (e.g., memoirs, testimonial narratives) or research studies about children (e.g., cultural studies, ethnographies, phenomenological studies). Reviews and critiques of novels, movies, and creative writing that focus on Asian Indian children are also invited for publication consideration. In keeping with the journal’s policy, besides literary essays, the editors will consider scholarly papers on dance, music, painting, sculpture, and domestic architecture as they pertain to South Asian children.

The co-guest editors are uniquely qualified for this special issue. Iyengar, holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Learning and teaching which advances her inquiry into issues of signs systems and cultural preservation among the Asian Indian community, especially as it exists in the United States (cf. Iyengar 2015, 2019; Iyengar and Smith 2016). Smith, a specialist, a specialist in biliteracy investigates literacy development among bilinguals and cultural expressions through literacy (Smith and Riojas-Cortez 2010; Clark et al. 2016; Smith and Iyengar 2018). Currently, for her post-doctoral year with Smith, Dr. Iyengar is exploring literacy development with marginalized and underserved communities.

Within this collection of research articles and essays, the readers will learn of the experiences of Asian Indian youth who live far away from India, i.e., their heritage country. The researchers clarify many aspects of identity construction, socialization, Indianization, “Desi-ism,” artistic expressions, and pedagogy. The articles detail the triumphs and struggles of those who have a bicultural identity or lived experience. The following section introduces the contributions.

Dr. Anne Hardgrove considers pedagogy for teaching to global citizens in Only Connect: Student Writing on Experiencing South Asia in San Antonio. Recognizing that students in the college classroom are frequently (a) culturally myopic, or (b) diasporic, she argues for instruction that is both practical and culturally informed. She proffers culturally efficacious approaches to increase student engagement, broaden their intercultural understandings, and produce greater tolerance, appreciation, and respect.

To achieve a better understanding of identity construction, it is important to acknowledge the interstitial nature of culture, gender identification, and socialization. In Third Gender Politics: Hijra Identity Construction in India and Beyond, Dr. Suzy Woltmann reviews the politics surrounding the hijra-gay and lesbian youth of India. Through her discussion, we consider the challenges of inter and intrapersonal identity construction.

Neoliberal Pedagogies and Indian American Youth: Constructing Academic Identities in Central Texas, by Dr. Venkat Ramaprasad discusses the schooling experiences of Indian youth. In his study, Ramaprasad examines the multiple relationships that are negotiated in the classroom. Specifically, he analyzes the linkages between students, teachers, pedagogies, race and cultures as they interact within the classroom. Through his study, we see the mechanisms by which Asian Indian youth construct their multiple, unique identities.

Drs. Kalpana Mukunda Iyengar and Roxanne Henkin examine the psychological growth and identity construction of an Asian Indian American youth. In their case study titled, Gopal’s Mesosystem: Asian Indian Culture and American Dualities, they explicate the child’s mesosystem which is the synthesis of different micro systems (e.g., animal care, religious observance, musical performance, familial relationships) and how these various systems impacted the youth’s emotional and academic progress. The researchers analyze the contributions apported through his experiences in the various microsystems, including socialization through family, school, and and his extra curricular cultural activities. Findings suggest that one’s individual mesosystem, created through performing arts, community engagement (e.g., scouting), family events (e.g., celebrations, travel) shape the holistic development of youth.

Youth outside of their country of ethnic origin must navigate their multiple cultural worlds. To disrupt threats against cultural preservation, parents often seek opportunities for their children to infuse their diasporic lives with culturally grounded, heritage practices. The quintessential symbol of the Indic culture may be considered to be the Bharatanatyam Dance. Whether embellished with carnatic music or accompanied by secular melodies, the dance encompasses much of the beliefs, historicities, and traditions of an ancient people. Drs. Kalpana Mukunda Iyengar and Howard L. Smith survey the contribution that art makes to identity construction in their article, The Sacred Bharatanatyam Dance: Transcendental Esthetics. Their analysis, applying Bruner’s (1998) ten features of narrative, reveals multiple levels of meaning embedded in Bharatnatyam and as Arangetram (solo debut).

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kalpana Mukunda Iyengar

Dr. Kalpana Mukunda Iyengar holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching. Since 2010, she has taught teacher preparation courses on diversity, social issues, culture, and literacy. Dr. Iyengar is also a postdoctoral fellow in Culture, Language, and Literacy in the Bilingual Bicultural Department, UTSA where she co-writes, publishes, and conducts family literacy nights and professional development workshops for teachers in public schools across San Antonio along with Dr. Howard Smith.

Howard L. Smith

Dr. Howard L. Smith is Associate Professor in Bicultural-Bilingual Studies at the University of Texas, San Antonio. Dr. Smith teaches courses in bilingual education, biliteracy, sociocultural contexts of language and literacy development, and multicultural education. His coauthored books include Multicultural Literature for Latino Bilingual Children: Their Words, Their Worlds and ELLs in Texas: What teachers need to know. Cognella Press published a curated anthology co-edited by Dr. Smith and Dr. Iyengar on “Diversity in Society and Schools in the US.”