ABSTRACT
Post-migration generations of Indian Americans have established a visible presence in the United States, in some ways, far beyond their actual numbers. Their contribution to research, particularly in the sectors of science and technology, is well established, and more recently, their success in politics and a slow albeit growing presence in American media is noteworthy. This success has been hailed as a sign of their assimilation into the American mainstream (Purkayastha, 2005a). However, these diasporic performances of success, which bring Indian cultures to mainstream public spaces in the United States, are not simple stories of assimilation. Rather we argue that bringing these performances to public arenas represents both a form of assimilation and even more so, a way of asserting an ethnic political presence in the American mainstream. Drawing on prior research, we discuss some trends in Indian performances, in colleges and beyond, in the United States. We situate these performances within the United States’ structural and cultural contexts, as well as the context of global India, to interrogate the idea of “Indian” in Indian culture.
