Critical Lens Of Indian Culture

In each generation except the eldest, assimilation was observed. Males tended to have more choice on which form of integration they chose, and that freedom of choice increased with age and financial status. In summation, age and gender impacted the level to which each individual had the choice to live a multicultural or assimilative life at the field site and in society.

Gender roles at the field site mirrored gender roles in society. The level to which the females at the field site were multicultural or assimilative was influenced by their gender. Given the traditional gender roles present in Indian society, it comes as no surprise that the females were limited. Similarly, the males experience was also influenced by gender. In class,

In class, we learned that habitus can shape one’s conceptions of the world. In the textbook, the author expands upon this definition by stating that habitus “is not fixed or predetermined, but it is so deeply enculturated that it becomes an almost instinctive sense of one’s potential” (Guest 2016: 272). Through habitus, age and gender were designated certain roles in the field site. Elders and males were granted much more autonomy, and youth and females were not granted as much autonomy. Through the lens of Indian culture, we can see how Indian culture influenced the habitus of both the age and gender group and how that habitus influences choice of assimilation or multiculturalism. The females were enculturated to respect the patriarchal order, and therefore, they were unable to explore choice in the matter between multiculturalism and assimilation. The older females were mostly in traditional gender roles as homemakers. This habitus led them to feel that they did not need to learn English or assimilate into American society because they did not need to interact with non-Indians. This is seen much less in the younger generation due to their socialization with American children at school. This socialization empowered the younger generation to look beyond the Indian cultural habitus and embrace assimilation more due to its being perceived as less restricting,

Age and gender are both defined by the habitus of Indian culture and American culture. The influence of both American and Indian culture on the habitus is dependent upon the age of the individual at the field site because age is indicative of whether or not an individual at the field site was raised in American society. Gender influences choice between multicultural or assimilative practices because traditional gender roles influence the habitus of males and females at the field site. This habitus then is challenged and reformed or upheld depending upon the age of the individual because the youth are given more freedom to define and change their habitus upon experiencing the freedom of college. The result of this process determines whether or not an individual at the field site feels they can choose between assimilation or multiculturalism and their actual ability to choose between the two methods of integration into American society. The roles of gender and age at the field site mirror gender and age roles in larger patriarchal societies. It can be seen, however, that the influence of the patriarchs diminishes as both age and education increase. Given that the habitus at this particular field site was conducive to college education, the youth at the field site had the opportunity to experience independence and begin to redefine