Biculturalism: The Lived Experiences of Second-Generation Hindu Asian Indian American

The goal of this study is to qualitatively examine the bicultural process of second-generation Hindu Asian Indian Americans. Previous literature has grouped Asians or Indians into one homogenous group. This study is an examination of a subset of the Indian American population; particularly individuals raised practicing Hinduism and whose parents are of Indian origin. There are numerous religions within India that contribute their own traditions, customs, and culture. Hinduism is utilized as a criterion due to such vast variations. Semi-structured interviews with 11 second-generation Hindu Asian Indian Americans between the ages of 19-32 were conducted. Several aspects of the bicultural process were examined, including identifying cultural values emphasized by the family, importance of cultural maintenance, strategies for navigating two cultures, the impact of contextual factors on biculturalism, and gender role expectations and how they impact ethnic identity development. These interviews have been analyzed using basic interpretive analysis through identification of codes and themes taken from the data and overall findings are presented.