With all the discussion of multiculturalism and the effects of hybrid cultures this week I want to discuss an interview on The Daily Show last week. The interview was with journalist Anand Giridharadas who wrote a book titled India Calling. Giridharadas’ parents immigrated to the United States where he was born and grew up. The interview is interesting (in my opinion) for two reasons. First, he focuses on the dilemmas of coming to terms with a cultural heritage. Giridharadas talks about his experience of moving back to India at 21 and about the process of coming to terms with his cultural identity. Second he shares stories about being in India and the people he interviewed. While I have not read the book I think one of the stories discussed in the interview is particularly interesting when considering notions of diasporas and global cultures. Giridharadas talks about a man he met in India, who decided to stay in India instead of leaving to pursue the “American Dream” in the United States. He worked hard, with motivations of the American Dream (hard work, perseverance, etc.), but did so in India. He wanted to stay where he had opportunity and was still big by the standards of the town he was in: he didn’t want to get lost in America. This is what I found particularly interesting. We don’t step back and consider how it feels to be one person lost within the brackets of a multicultural society. Indeed many of us cannot know what this feels like, as our families have lived here for a long time or we have come from similar (European) cultural backgrounds. I think this speaks to aspects of cultural identity and diaspora that we have been talking about, particularly this week. There is always the threat of losing one’s cultural identity. As Sinclair and Cunningham state, culture must be maintained, actively practiced, it is not simply inherent. While I am not part of a diaspora, I think it can be easy to forget or not think about how difficult maintaining cultural identity can be. We don’t consider how people can become lost within their host country, whether their significance as an individual or their cultural identity. I wonder if the example mentioned by Giridharadas will be repeated in the future or are being repeated. Will people look to aspects of their own country for opportunities? Or is this a rare case restricted to the unique economic conditions of India?
Given the reading of "Home, Homeland, homepage" by Mallapragada I think this example can be expanded on and becomes even more relevant to our topics. The mediation of past and present and trying to find oneself within a broader cultural identity is difficult. It is interesting that India has recognized this, and perhaps it is one of the reasons that a story like the one told by Giridharadas can occur. With the recognization of Non-resident Indians (NRI's) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO's) it is clear that India has recognized the importance of itself within a global culture. The question of whether people will stay in India to live out an "American Dream" scenario remains. However I think Mallapragada's argument is particularly relevant to the example of Giridharadas. As a PIO he was able to return to India and share in a different cultural experience, something that would definitely not have happened in the past. Such classifications as NRIs and PIOs seems to help people actively practice their cultural heritage in new ways, fostering a closer connection and even desire to return to the homeland.
ReplyDeleteMorely's discusses how cultures have traditionally been rooted in space, but in the contemporary world cultures can no longer be tied to specific spaces. This discussion also fits nicely with out understanding of how diasporic people (such as those belonging to the Indian diaspora) mediate themselves in a world where they are no longer tied to directly to the spaces of their homelands.
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