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Critical Lens Of Indian Culture

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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, …show more content…

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, …show more content…

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

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Sara and her family are going through this assimilation process because they believe they will be welcomed by society and adopt American identities. For immigrants’ transitions, and Sara in particular, a reality of independence is strongly desired. She seeks to become independent of her family and her cultural background because she believes that independence is a sign of authenticity and originality. This process is a combination of self-creation and Americanization. English language skills and a method of education are also critical components of cultural assimilation.

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As the wild west opened, so did new opportunities for American to strike it rich. But with the wild west opening up for the Americans, Indian lands were being encroached for railroads and homesteads. Indians were being pushed into reservations, their children sent to assimilation schools such AS the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. In the horrors of American assimilation targeted at young Native American children, many children would face struggle of losing their identity or face punishment of resisting assimilation. In the assimilation stories of Zitkala Sa and Sherman Alexie, tells the tale of their childhood experience being integrated into “American culture”.

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English proficiency is something the authors place an emphasis on, for language is a great factor in terms of assimilating into a brand new culture. Elina will explain the concept of assimilation, which is “a multigenerational process by which the “characteristics of members of immigrant groups and host societies come to resemble one another”” (Fraga et al. 2016, p. 330). With the concept of assimilation tackled, Danny Barocio will explain the different types of assimilation – cultural, structural, and marital (10 minutes), which will help the class gain a better understanding of the question that is posed at hand: Is assimilation necessary in order to achieve the “Americano dream”? There is almost (arguably) a consensus that the American dream is becoming “harder to achieve” (Fraga et al. 2016, p. 331) with each passing day, however, there are people that believe assimilation is the key to achieving this dream.

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Between 1790 and 1920, the United States used assimilation to shift Native-American culture into Euro-American culture. Americanization policies stated that when Natives learned Americas customs and values, they could combine their culture with American culture and have a peaceful transition into society’s majority. However, after the Indian Wars, Native American children were sent to boarding schools where they were forced to adopt the English language and other cultural aspects of the new America and leave their own traditions behind. The question of whether assimilation should be encouraged is still debated today.

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This greatly impacted Native Americans in the long run because the children creating the new generation were unable to pass down the culture as they lost it themselves. As the older generation started to disappear, the Native American culture was quickly vanishing. Although some children kept some culture and values from their Native American life, their way of life still was greatly impacted by their time in boarding school. Most children even were taught to be ashamed of their own culture, which led them less likely to go back to that way of life. Through removing children at a young age, giving them new Anglo names, cutting their hair, and teaching the ways of Christianity these children were forced to completely forget about the culture they once possessed.

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Native Americans in the 1920s were forced into assimilation. Many Native Americans tried to reject the assimilation, some tried to adapt the white man’s practices with their own practices, and others accepted the assimilation. Forced assimilation began at a young age beginning in the 1920s. Young Native Americans were taken from their homeland and tribes and were sent to assimilation schools. The assimilation schools stripped the young children of their Native American identities by renaming the children, cutting the children’s hair, changing the attire they were allowed to wear, and teaching the children tasks that were beneficial for the white population but not for the traditional Native Americans.

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A tension between Indian parent and their children is how close of a family they are as opposed to American Families. In American society it’s not rare for teenagers to be autonomous, but children from different backgrounds (immigrant families) face a problem when they try to be autonomous. “Young Indian- Americans of high school and college are comparing themselves with their non-Indian classmates, and repeatedly express frustration at their own parents efforts to restrict their movements, monitor their behavior and make decisions for them”( Lessinger, 109). Indian immigrant children are more exposed to the cultural and agree that the cultural of growing up early is unknown to their parents. This sheltered, nurturing life cause problem for

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For each individual it was unique and their level of assimilation into the dominant culture varied depending on what aspect of their life was being effected. These various examples show that even when coming from similar circumstances and experiences, assimilation is an individual process that is different for each participating

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Many social Economic Studies have shown that Hispanics, Native Americans, and African American are at the bottom of this racial hierarchy, in this case, it’s not the lack of assimilations, in this case, assimilation means finding, learning and accepting one’s place in the racial hierarchy (Chomsky, 2007, p. 104). During the process of assimilation the loss of attachment to one’s cultural roots and ethnic distinctiveness occur. After two studies of Hispanic adolescents conducted by Professor Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, the results showed that the most recent immigrants due to the stronger believe in the American Dream tended to be the students with the highest aspirations. They showed that commitment to education, respect and work ethics and high levels of optimism were some of the distinctive characteristics. As they become Americanized and aware of their place in the racial hierarchy drugs, money, and uncontrolled behavior are more likely to occur (Chusmky, 2007, p.107).

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In an article authored by Urvashi Agarwal on the role of females in Indian culture, she even points out the difference in emotions between the birth of a girl and boy: “sohras – the joyous songs of celebration sung at the birth of a child in the Hindi-speaking belt – are almost never sung for newborn daughters. Indeed, many sohras express the mother’s relief that this has not been the case and her worst fears have been proven to be unfounded” (Agarawal). This indifference towards females acts a specific example that shows undoubtedly that they are seen below men in the Indian hierarchy. In most conflicts involving an Indian family, it is safe to say that there is a presumption that the person higher up in social status, or in the case of Monsoon Wedding, the older and male Tej, would have the benefit of the doubt over a young girl like Ria. In addition, Lalit and the family were tremendously indebted to Tej, as he not only offers to pay for Ria’s entire American college education, but for the wedding as well.

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