[Last modified: November, 12 2024 06:44 PM]
My project centres around a broad topic, concerning the lived experience of members in the South Asian diaspora. The South Asian diaspora exists in many places, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and the Caribbean to name a few. There are various factors that impact these peoples’ lived experiences, including the historical contexts regarding their migration to and life in these countries as well as South Asian ethnicity and religion. For example, the South Asian experience in the United States was largely impacted by the terrorist attacks that happened on September 11, 2001, as many South Asian Americans were the targets of hate crimes and other forms of racism following those events. In addition, the demographics of the areas they migrate to can have a strong impact on these groups, affecting their sociality with others and their general interactions with the world around them. I am going into this process with the assumption that my participants will experience life differently based on how their unique backgrounds come into contact with their local environments.
As an Indian American woman, I recognise that my positionality provides me with the context to relate to my participants on some matters, but I am also aware of the fact that not all South Asian experiences are the same. Upon reflection, my caste, religious affiliation, gender identity and ethnicity have all shaped my experience and perspective on the world around me, both negatively and positively. I have witnessed first-hand how these add complexity to my experience as a third-culture kid in the United States, coming with privileges and disadvantages. That said, I believe that my positionality may impact my relationship with my participants; since I plan on speaking with people from various backgrounds, their experiences living in their respective communities and countries may shape their perception of me.
With this in mind, I need to design my research approach in a way that makes my participants feel comfortable sharing information with me. In addition, it will be necessary to get a general understanding of the external factors around them that would impact their experiences, so I may need to supplement my knowledge through additional research. As mentioned, I believe each participant’s experience will be shaped by their background so this would be helpful for understanding the overall context. Doing this could ensure that I am expanding my perspective beyond my own experience to conduct a thorough and relevant analysis for my participants’ data.