Women of the South Asian Diaspora

Abstract

In this paper I have made an attempt to study the lives of women of South Asian descent---women who trace their origins to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. The lives of South Asian women in general are centered on the loneliness and isolation that they experience in an alien country and culture. Their search for identity takes the form of reaffirmation of their cultural heritage. As members of a cultural ethnic group, they share a common set of values, ideas, experiences and behavioral and linguistic traits which distinguish them from other ethnic groups. Their ethnic and cultural heritage gives them not only a sense of identity but also a feeling of belonging and a pride in their ethnicities. It helps them in their struggle to make the United States, a real home for themselves and their families.