Desis and Racial Minority Politics: Disrupting Assumptions of Ethnoracial Solidarity: Current sociological analyses of Desi political interests are incomplete because they gravitate toward flattened identity-based, and electoral-based, understandings of ethnoracial groups. This study examines the political agendas and campaigns of four political organizations, located in New York City and Washington, D.C., with South Asian-origin members and constituents. These groups are 1) The Washington Leadership Program; 2) South Asian Americans Leading Together; and 3) Seva New York; and 4) Desis Rising Up and Moving. I collected qualitative data via in-person interviews (n=40) and participant observations (n=10) with members and organizational leaders, and at public events and programs. A key finding from this study is that South Asians are not a cohesive political force. The narratives demonstrate that the political agendas and activities of each organization undoubtedly shift and evolve in response to racializing moments (such as the events and aftermath of September 11, 2001). The data also illustrate that because the political interests of South Asian Americans get activated in subgroups, along the margins, and fragmentally, their agendas still cannot be captured through a shared ethnoracial or "panethnic" experience. While the desire for ethnoracial solidarity comes from an identification of common cause, the internal fragments – defined by issues of class, religion, gender, sexuality, nation of origin, immigration and citizenship status, and language – point to the difficulty of developing an authentic practice of intra-ethnic solidarity for Desis. Further, each organization's relationship to building alliances and coalitions cross-racially further delineate the fragmented nature of Desi political values. Based on the narratives from participants and leaders in these organizations, I make a case for why sociologists need to expand their theoretical lens for interpreting South Asian political agendas and locate Desi politicization along an “assimilation-to-racialization continuum” that intersects the paradigms of “assimilation” and “racialization” in conversation with one another. The categories between the “assimilation-to-racialization continuum” are as follows: “Wholehearted Assimilation (of Racial Minorities into the Mainstream Elite),” “Model Minority Assimilation (into "Honorary Whiteness”) ,” “Normalizing Minority Representation and Racial Diversity,” “Racial Justice and Progressive Inclusivity,” and “Empowering the Most Marginalized for Social Justice & Transformative Change.” Although this study reveals the specificity of an “assimilation-to-racialization continuum” and its application to the political lives of South Asian Americans, we can nevertheless think of ways that this model can be extended to other ethnic and racial groups in the U.S. I posit that we adopt the “assimilation-to-racialization continuum” to better understand how fragmented ethnoracial communities engage the political sphere. / Sociology

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Asians and expatriate Africans have been prominent in the SMME economy of South Africa. This work seeks to establish reasons for the growth and competitiveness of SMMEs run by these groups compared to those operated by local citizens. Reasons for this competitiveness are gleaned from existing literature and presented in accordance with the Perren model which attributes the growth of SMMEs to the owner’s motivation, expertise in managing growth, access to resources, and demand. In this work, the Perren model was first applied to Asians and Lebanese in East and West Africa to set a foundation for comparison with the South African situation. This work concluded that it is the four interim growth drivers acting together that cause competitiveness of Asian- or expatriate African-owned SMMEs. Policy recommendations to improve competitiveness of SMMEs owned by local citizens are then suggested at the end. / Economics / M. Com. (Economics)

Objective: Food insecurity among South Asians in the US is a public health issue. Food insecure adults face a plethora of adverse outcomes and research shows that individuals with ancestral origins from South Asia have a higher susceptibility rate for cardiovascular disease after migrating to urban environments. As such, the goal of this study was to research possible barriers South Asians face when creating cultural dishes in the US. Methods: This was a convergent parallel mixed-methods analysis to understand how South Asians feel about food insecurity. Pricing and availability of cultural food items were obtained from South Asian and Western grocery stores. Focus groups were conducted among twelve participants who identified as South Asian immigrants where participants discussed their experiences obtaining cultural food items. After the interviews, the discussions were transcribed, and patterns were identified and analyzed. Results: The results of the study demonstrate that South Asians find barriers such as availability, price, and quality when shopping for cultural food items. Participants reported cooking cultural foods at a lower frequency than what they would prefer because while many of the food items commonly used in cultural dishes were available at both Western and South Asian grocery stores, South Asian stores were more expensive. Furthermore, participants reported that some culturally specific ingredients were not available at South Asian stores thus further limiting their ability to cook healthy items. Conclusion: The results of the study highlight the need for more public health initiative to address food insecurity among South Asians in the US.

Using the perspectives of individualism-collectivism, Social Cognitive Theory and other concepts such as gay community attachment, this study focused on issues of homosexual identification, disclosure and sexual risk practices in relation to cross-cultural differences among gay Asian and Caucasian men in Sydney. Mostly recruited from gay social venues, 19 gay Asian men participated in exploratory focus groups discussions, another 201 gay Caucasian and 199 gay Asian men completed an anonymous questionnaire, and a further 10 gay Caucasian and 9 gay Asian men took part in in-depth one-to-one interviews. The major findings were: gay Asian men tended to experience conflict, in being both gay and Asian, related to individualism and collectivism; the gay Asian and Caucasian men differed in various aspects of homosexual practice, but shared certain sexual traits and practices; self-efficacy in safe sex and gay community attachment were key factors associated with gay men???s sexual risk practices (???risk??? being defined as unprotected anal intercourse with any casual partners or with a regular partner whose HIV status was not concordant with the participant???s). This study provides evidence that the inclusion of individualism-collectivism, social cognitive variables and gay community factors in the examination of homosexual identity and practice among men of different cultural backgrounds holds promise. It further suggests that educational programs to encourage safe sex will continue to yield benefits from increasing individual awareness, confidence and ability to effectively deal with situations that could pose risks of HIV transmission.

本研究探索台灣與東南亞籍跨國婚姻子女其自我概念、外表形象與族群認同之內涵及三者概念之間的關連性。本研究以質性研究方法進行，透過參與觀察、焦點團體以及個別深入訪談等多元方式從事資料蒐集並以歸納方式進行分析。本研究對象主要包括了五個類別的青少年：外表具有明顯族群特徵的跨國原生家庭青少年、外表不具有明顯族群特徵的跨國原生家庭青少年、外表具有明顯族群特徵的跨國繼親家庭青少年、親生父母皆為台灣人的跨國繼親家庭青少年以及特殊類別青少年。本研究產生幾項主要發現：(1) 跨國家庭青少年在自我概念上的形塑與一般青少年無異；他們皆能以抽象字眼描述自己，並運用多種不同面向以建構其自我概念。在當中，父母和同儕為影響其自我概念的重要他人。(2)外表亦為跨國家庭青少年自我概念的重要面向之一，尤其是女性。此外，跨國家庭青少年所持之審美觀與一般青少年並無明顯差異。(3)跨國家庭青少年均已發展出初步的族群認同，能選擇自身的族群身份以及運用族群相關線索來區分「我群」和「他群」。同時，外表特徵影響自身揭露族群身份的經驗與方式，具有明顯族群外表者較無彈性選擇族群身份界定與揭露方式。(4)對於擁有明顯族群外表特徵的跨國原生家庭青少年與特殊類別青少年而言，他人對其族群身份與外表特徵的評價，會明顯地對其自我概念產生雙重影響，其中性別亦為一個重要因素。對女性來說，明顯的族群外表特徵（例如膚色黑）容易降低她們對外表的自信。本研究的結果，期望能對跨國家庭及族群研究，相關決策者，以及台灣社會大眾做出有意義的貢獻。 / The aim of this research is to understand the relations among self-concept, ethnic identification and the perception of physical appearance in the adolescents from transnational families composed of Taiwanese and Southeast Asians. The study uses qualitative research methods to collect and analyze data, and the sample comprises five categories: the adolescents from transnational families with identifiable ethnic physical features, the adolescents from transnational families without identifiable ethnic physical features, the adolescents from transnational stepfamilies with identifiable ethnic physical features, the Taiwanese-born adolescents from transnational stepfamilies, and the special category. There are several findings from this research. First, the construction of self concept is similar between adolescents from transnational families and the general Taiwanese adolescents; they are able to describe themselves in abstract sense and present their self-concepts in multiple dimensions. Parents and peers are significant sources of influence in their construction of self concepts. Second, the perception of physical appearance is a significant aspect of self concept in adolescents from transnational families, and this is especially so to female adolescents. Moreover, the perceptions of beauty and physical appearance of adolescents from transnational families tend to coincide with those of the general Taiwanese adolescents. Third, the adolescents from transnational families have developed preliminary ethnic identities, which are shown by their abilities to indicate their ethnic memberships and to distinguish the ethnic in-groups from out-groups. Furthermore, physical appearance tends to affect the ways and experiences of revealing ethnic identities. Adolescents with identifiable ethnic physical features generally have less power to negotiate their ethnic identities. Fourth, to those adolescents from transnational families with identifiable ethnic physical features and the adolescent in the special category, others’ opinions of their ethnic memberships and their ethnically denoted physical appearances can powerfully shape their self-concepts, and gender acts as an important factor affecting this linkage. To the female adolescents from transnational families with identifiable ethnic features, their self-esteem is likely to be negatively influenced by their ethnically denoted physical appearances. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the academic fields of transnational family study and ethnicity, as well as to policy makers and the general Taiwanese society.

This study aimed to document the extent of domestic violence among a community sample of women of South Asian origin in the United States, and to investigate sociocultural factors associated with domestic violence in this population. It also investigated the extent of informal and formal help-seeking among women of South Asian origin who are victims of domestic violence and sociocultural factors associated with their help-seeking. The sociocultural factors of isolation (measured by ties with family, friends, and social and cultural groups, as well as ties with spouse/partner), perceived social support, acculturation, and patriarchy were used to predict abuse and help-seeking. Both paper and Web surveys were used to collect data from a cross section of South Asian women residing in the United States of America. In total, 215 cases were included in the multivariate analyses. Most women in the sample were highly educated. Based on the Conflict Tactics Scale -2, results indicated that 38% of the sample experienced psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and/or injury from abuse in the past year. Psychological abuse was by far the most prevalent form of abuse (52%), but 48% of the women who were abused experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse, or injury. Isolation, as measured by ties with spouse/partner, and perceived social support predicted both abuse and help-seeking. Isolation, as measured by ties with family, friends, and social and cultural groups, also predicted help-seeking. Of the women who reported seeking help, the use of informal help sources (e.g., family, friends) was more prevalent than the use of formal resources (e.g., doctors, counselors, battered women’s shelters). The study contributes to the research by providing empirical data on the extent of abuse and help-seeking behaviors of women of South Asian origin in the United States. Among the study’s practice and policy implications for preventing domestic violence is a need to reach out to South Asian women in the community to insure that they are not isolated and know that support is available. The study also suggests that outreach to men is necessary in order to improve relationships with their spouses/partners that may lead to reduced abuse. The information will contribute to designing culturally appropriate interventions to prevent domestic violence and help South Asian women victimized by domestic violence. / text

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Estimates indicate that Asian nurses have become the majority of international registered nurses (RNs) working in U.S. Studies have shown that differences in values exist between members of collectivistic cultures, such as those in Asian countries, and members of individualistic cultures, such as those in most Western countries. The purpose of this study was to understand factors related to turnover among Asian RNs working in the U.S.: level of collectivist orientation; perception of practice environment; degree of organizational commitment, and intention to leave current job. The research design was cross-sectional, correlational, and descriptive. A temporally ordered model was developed using the research literature and well-established instruments measured Asian RNs' level of collectivist orientation (Collectivist Orientation Scale), perception of practice environment (Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index), organizational commitment (Organizational Commitment Questionnaire), and intention to leave current job (Anticipated Turnover Scale). A snowball of 120 RNs was obtained. Descriptive, Pearson correlation, hierarchical regression, and the Sobel test were used to analyze data. Results showed that Asian nurses were highly collectivist-oriented. Generally, they had high levels of satisfaction with their practice environment and organizational commitment, but had low intention to leave their current jobs. Collectivist orientation, perception of practice environment, and organizational commitment were significantly and positively correlated to each other, but were significantly and negatively associated with intention to leave. The strongest predictor of intention to leave was organizational commitment. Organizational commitment mediated the relationship between perception of practice environment and intention to leave. It is important for administrators to understand characteristics of members of collectivist cultures and their organizational commitment. This may be crucial for administrators to lower the rate of turnover among Asian RNs. Future research should focus on longitudinal and controlled interventional studies to understand Asian nurses' satisfaction with their practice environment and their organizational commitment.

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences