A qualitative study examining the acculturation process of Asian Indians in the United States

Date

2008-05-30

Authors

Garimella, Nirisha K.

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe, examine and analyze the life of Indians in the U.S. The study examined the process of adjustment that immigrants make in their new home in the U.S., based on immigrants' previous exposure to U.S. culture. Research questions that guided the current research were: ( 1) How do Indian immigrants describe their life in the U.S.?, (2) How do expectations of life in the U.S. align with actual experiences in the U.S.?, (3) What influences the expectations of life in the U.S?, ( 4) How does immigrants' life in the U.S. compare to their life in their home country?, and (5) How do immigrants prepare for their life in the U.S.? The researcher interviewed 15 adult immigrants from India, using a semi-structured interview format. All interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and analyzed. Multiple levels of analysis were used to triangulate the data. The research found that the reason for immigration impacted the preparation, and initial adjustment to the U.S. Some of the participants who had immigrated upon getting married learnt about life in the U.S. from their husbands and many described their initial life in the U.S. as being lonely and boring. Most of the participants who came to the U.S. as graduate students described financial concerns as being one of their biggest adjustments. Descriptions of current life in the U.S. and future life were similar to participants who came after getting married and those who came as graduate students. Advice to others differed based on the immigration experience.

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Keywords

Social sciences, Acculturation, Asian Indian, Immigrants, Indian

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