Ethnicity In An Age Of Diaspora By R. Raakrishnan

In “Ethnicity in an Age of Diaspora” by R. Radhakrishnan theorizes how diaspora is viewed between generation and how it affects their ethnicity and background as a whole. He poses to the reader that being Indian-American, as a hyphenated aspect does not mean that an individual is being Indian. The reader begins to question, “What does “being Indian” mean in the United States? How can one be and live Indian without losing clout and leverage as Americans? How can one transform the so-called mainstream American identity into the image of the many ethnicities that constitute it? We should not pretend we are living in some idealized “little India” and not in the United States” (Radhakrishnan, p. 123). Factors that enhance this subject reflect upon …show more content…
However, the elderly man depicts that the Indian-American youth fails to understand disingenuous ethnic narrative, and also understood that their lifestyle is far different from theirs. He identifies that these two generations have different perspectives about Indian culture, and fails to grasp important information about the norms and cultural views. Radhakrishnan quoted, “It is vital that the two generation empathize and desire to understand and appreciate patterns of experience not their own” (Radhakrishnan, p. 123). Radhakrishnan states that as the younger generation, integrate into the American culture, individuals move forward, and the definition of “Indian” as older generation alter, for younger generations. It also portrays that the older generations politically need to adapt with the “Americans” because as time progresses identities, cultural and traditional perspectives will begin to change with the Indian-American culture. It demonstrates that cultures will have to integrate into an American society in order to be inclusive amongst …show more content…
Radhakrishnan explains how immigrants are to preserve their ethnic identity, however adapt to their new social context. He also explains how hyphenated integration minoritize there identity being an American citizen. Overall, generations and diasporas are going to differ because of this desire to assert and its own ethnic roots. Radhakrishnan cautions his reader not to allow nostalgia or pride to become essentialism. For example, the perception that there exists a single, “pure” form of any particular culture. The essentialism and the drive for, “authenticity” is to protect and maintain its space in history in the diaspora context. Capitalism which consists of market places, and other commodities tends to degenerate into