Although one 's identity may seem to be a very personal and individual decision, as we shall examine, there can be many historical, socioeconomic, and sociological factors that can directly or indirectly influence this decision. Just as there is a wide range of experiences and circumstances within the Asian American population, so too can there be many different, overlapping, and simultaneous forms of ethnic identity among Asian Americans. One common example is the ethnic identity of Japanese American after World War II. Many Japanese American adults who were imprisoned during WWII initially discarded their identity after the end of war, to avoid any association, shame, or embarrassment with being imprisoned. However, after movement to demand
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A total of 13,607 individuals emigrated from India in 1820-1960 (Williams, 393-395). By 1980, the United States population included 387,223 Asian Indians and 15,792 Pakistanis. Preferences were established so that a high percentage of the new immigrants in the first decade of the new legislation were physicians and engineers (Williams, 393-395). Now resident status is more likely to be acquired through family reunification processes, with tension resulting in the Asian-Indian community because of lower educational levels of the more recent immigrants (Williams, 393-395).
“Plausibility structures”, defined by Williams, is the why and how individuals regard their beliefs as true or false. Any beliefs held by people and groups are kept through social and cultural institutions and processes. But the nature of their religious beliefs makes the plausibility structures problematic (Williams, 401). The majority of the believers need some kind of support, usually a religions community, in order to confirm their extraordinary claims of the said …show more content…
As native-born Americans were becoming more religiously observant over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, immigrants were probably more motivated to follow suit. There were also internal motivations for new immigrant communities to start their own churches or temples soon after arrival. Participation in religious rituals reinforces traditional cultural identities and provides comfort to those enduring the hardships of adjusting to a new life in a strange environment (Lee, 368-369). There are examples of a very high level of religious participation among immigrant groups, of which the Korean-American Christian community. On the other hand, there are many examples of immigrant groups that were not very religious (Lee, 368-369). These aspects of religious participation are particularly salient to immigrants because they have many needs and few resources. Many efforts to win religious converts among immigrants begin with the provision of needed services. Almost all immigrant and ethnic churches make major efforts to serve the social and economic needs of their congregants, including information about housing, social, and economic opportunities that facilitate their adaptation to American society
A total of 13,607 individuals emigrated from India in 1820-1960 (Williams, 393-395). By 1980, the United States population included 387,223 Asian Indians and 15,792 Pakistanis. Preferences were established so that a high percentage of the new immigrants in the first decade of the new legislation were physicians and engineers (Williams, 393-395). Now resident status is more likely to be acquired through family reunification processes, with tension resulting in the Asian-Indian community because of lower educational levels of the more recent immigrants (Williams, 393-395).
“Plausibility structures”, defined by Williams, is the why and how individuals regard their beliefs as true or false. Any beliefs held by people and groups are kept through social and cultural institutions and processes. But the nature of their religious beliefs makes the plausibility structures problematic (Williams, 401). The majority of the believers need some kind of support, usually a religions community, in order to confirm their extraordinary claims of the said …show more content…
As native-born Americans were becoming more religiously observant over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, immigrants were probably more motivated to follow suit. There were also internal motivations for new immigrant communities to start their own churches or temples soon after arrival. Participation in religious rituals reinforces traditional cultural identities and provides comfort to those enduring the hardships of adjusting to a new life in a strange environment (Lee, 368-369). There are examples of a very high level of religious participation among immigrant groups, of which the Korean-American Christian community. On the other hand, there are many examples of immigrant groups that were not very religious (Lee, 368-369). These aspects of religious participation are particularly salient to immigrants because they have many needs and few resources. Many efforts to win religious converts among immigrants begin with the provision of needed services. Almost all immigrant and ethnic churches make major efforts to serve the social and economic needs of their congregants, including information about housing, social, and economic opportunities that facilitate their adaptation to American society