PDF: 2962 pages, 5.2 MB - Bay Area Council Economic Institute

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A Diverse, Vibrant Community
“It is this capitalist drive to succeed, rather than some nostalgic connection to India, that some theorists
believe is the true connection among citizens of the global Indian diaspora. As the United States
dominates the economy and popular culture of countries all over the globe and asserts a greater and
greater role as the world’s sole superpower, perhaps we are all flashy bits of the American mirror, more
starred and striped than we know. Or perhaps the American dream is only one manifestation of a kind
of success that my relatives have been pursuing for more than a century: the Fijian dream, the South
African dream, the Australian dream, the Hong Kong dream.”
Minal Hajratwala, “Leaving India”
Key Findings:
• The number of immigrants has grown since the 1960s and particularly since 1995.
• Many are IT and software professionals, a change from the traditional pattern of small
business owners.
• Most Indian immigrants are affluent, professional homeowners with families.
• Cultural networks have been augmented by business networks.
• Philanthropy is directed mainly toward economic and social needs back in India.
• Indians in post-9/11 America are wielding new political influence.
S
ince the changes in immigration policy that began in 1965, a broad cross-section of India’s
population—from different professions, but also from different regions, castes and religious
sects within India—has been drawn to the U.S. in search of opportunity.
The Bay Area Indian community is far from monolithic: even recent arrivals gravitate to particular
temples, civic organizations and neighborhoods where their native languages are spoken, their
native cultures and religious celebrations are observed, and their native cuisine and newspapers
are available. India West, a newspaper published in San Leandro, serves the larger Indian
community with news from India, U.S. Indian news, and information on entertainment, events,
sports, culture and religion.
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