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The Indian Diaspora in the United States

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The Indian Diaspora in the United States
THE INDIAN DIASPORA IN THE UNITED STATES

Indian Diaspora in USA is a culmination of different phases of Indian migration to the States including the twice- migrants. Though a major portion of the present day Indian Diaspora is a result of the post- 1960s, it has its roots way back in the later part of the eighteenth century to the mid- nineteenth century. The present day Indian Diaspora in the United States consists of the following: the descendants of the migrants in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the descendants of and the migrants in the post 1965- era, the twice- migrants, and all the Persons of Indian Origin staying in the United states.

Indian emigration to the USA and the resultant Diaspora formations can be analyzed in two different phases. The dividing line can be either the year of Indian Independence (1947) or the year 1965 when the historical Hart- Celler Act (see Appendix B) was passed which has changed the type of migration to the United States. In the section below, the year 1965 is used as the dividing line to differentiate the two phases. This is because Indian migration took a different turn with the migration of professionals to the United States when the Hart- Celler Act was passes in 1965 (See

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Appendix). The year of India's Independence does not have that significant relevance with regard to the migration of Indians to the United States.

Sheth (1995) indicates that any study or research on the Indian Diaspora in USA should analyze when and why Indians have migrated, where from it took place, how the immigrants were treated, the residential patterns, the socioeconomic profiles, the ethnic identity and the contribution of the Indians to the host society. We can briefly examine at the Indian Diaspora in the United States in two different phases.

The Pre 1965 Phase

The presence of the Indian Diaspora in the United States begins with the migration of Indians in the mid- nineteenth century. The first recorded

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