Perceptions of Race-Based Discrimination Among First-Generation Asian Indians in the United States

The current study examined how historical, social, and political contexts in their country of origin and their host country have influenced first-generation Asian Indians' racialized experiences in the United States. We conducted nine separate focus groups with a total of 50 first-generation Asian Indian participants (20 men and 30 women). In a semistructured interview, participants were asked about the factors that influence their perceptions of and coping with race-based discrimination. The data were analyzed using grounded theory. A theoretical model was developed based on factors that influence Asian Indian individuals' conceptualizations of race-based discrimination, the variables that influence their coping strategies, and the insights gained in coping with discrimination. Pre- and postimmigration experiences seem salient to race-based experiences of Asian Indians in the United States. Attempts at making meaning of Asian Indian race-based experiences were strongly influenced by the caste system, preimmigration colonial influence, and the model minority myth.