Anti-Caste Mobilization and the Political Incorporation of South Asian Immigrants in the United States
Open Access DepositedBetween Home and Host
Why do internal divides within immigrant communities—such as caste, a politically salient social cleavage in the home context—persist in structuring relations of power, discrimination, and marginalization in the host context? How, and to what extent, do these internal divides shape pathways to political incorporation among immigrant populations?This dissertation argues that seemingly invisible (and sometimes unwanted) transnational ties play a critical role in shaping the formation of immigrant groups and their engagement with the host political system. Specifically, I show how dynamics of marginalization and exclusion within immigrant communities—shaped by ethnic and racial divisions rooted in the home context—can foster political consciousness along internal divides that may be otherwise invisible in the host context. Additionally, political developments in the home context, particularly those targeting specific groups, can amplify perceptions of threat from fellow immigrants and provoke a collective response. When coupled with an open host political system and mobilizational resources, these factors create opportunities for relatively powerless immigrant groups to secure political inclusion. Ultimately, I contend that the incorporation of immigrants in the host political system is not only nonlinear—that is, it does not always follow a steady, progressive trajectory—but also fragmented, allowing distinct segments to pursue localized political goals independent of the broader immigrant population. To unpack these dynamics, I employ an interpretive approach and multi-sited analysis. I combine over 60 in-depth interviews with activists, lawyers, academics, and other key stakeholders with ethnographic insights to uncover the shared meanings and grievances that fueled these collective efforts. Additionally, I use an online survey with an embedded experiment to assess patterns of identification and caste bias in the Indian diaspora in the U.S. This research contributes to scholarship on immigrant political mobilization, minority politics, and South Asian American politics.
In recent years, segments of the South Asian diaspora have mobilized the Dalit identity—the lowest stratum of the caste hierarchy—to advocate for explicit legal protections against caste-based discrimination in the United States. By targeting local governments, universities, and private corporations, these activists have brought caste into mainstream discourse, demonstrating how immigrants engage with host institutions to seek recognition and advance group-specific rights. While scholars of immigrant political incorporation emphasize how both political opportunities and threats in the host context shape immigrant mobilization, the emergence of caste as a salient axis of political engagement in the U.S. is puzzling since caste remains largely invisible in this cultural and institutional context. This raises two key questions
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