Identity, Cultural Sensitivity, and Racism in India

By: Jenny Chen

November 12, 2014

I have self-identified as Chinese-American for as long as I can remember. In the United States, I have rarely had to question my dual identity as I saw no conflict of interest—in my eyes and those of others around me, it was entirely possible to be both American and Chinese. However, being in India has challenged my understanding of identity and my preconceived notions about racial diversity on the Indian subcontinent.

“Where are you from?” As a foreigner in India, this is one of the most frequently asked questions posed by Indian passersby, rickshaw drivers, shop owners, and other Indian natives. Most of the times that someone has asked this question, I happen to be with a group of other American students in the program, most of whom have distinctly Caucasian features. When one of the students that I am with answers “America,” the person usually nods in response. More often than not, however, the person usually stares at me and then at the rest of the group and then asks pointedly, “Even her?” “Yes, I am also from America.” is always my response. Here, the Indian native starts to look confused and asks something along the lines of, “You are from Nepal, no?” “No, I am also American.” is my defiant response.

After having experienced an innumerable number of comparable interactions with Indian natives in the past few months, I have come to realize that many in India view race and identity as two inseparable and interconnected entities. Race and identity essentially go hand in hand. As such, the possibility of someone such as myself with distinctly Oriental features identifying as American is difficult for many Indians to comprehend because it clearly goes against their preconceived notions of race and identity. Although I was not used to and was frustrated with people constantly questioning my identity, over time I learned to deal with these questions in a calm and courteous manner. Whenever such incidents would happen, I would try to remind myself that many of the Indians that I met have not been exposed to the same cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity that is present in the United States as I have had. I believed that racial diversity looked different in India than in the United States and that cultural insensitivity came as a result of India’s distinct racial makeup.

However, in my class on social justice issues in India, I learned that northeast Indians constantly have to deal with the aforementioned cultural insensitivity. The northeastern states are known as the “Seven Sisters” and are connected to mainland India by a small sliver of land that spans the northern top of Bangladesh. These states are plagued by chronic underdevelopment and separatist conflicts. Aside from macro-level indicators, something else that sets Northeasterners apart from most other Indians is that they tend to have Oriental features. Because of their appearance alone, Northeasterners often face harsh discriminatory treatment. They are commonly called “chinkies” and face harassment and assault from landlords and employers. Crimes against Northeasterners have in fact gone up by 270 percent in the past three years.

Learning about the issues that Northeasterners face on a day-to-day basis put my various uncomfortable experiences with cultural insensitivity in India into perspective. I could not imagine how difficult it must be for Northeasterners to constantly feel insecure and uncertain about their identities as Indians. In the United States, confidence in my identity as Chinese-American was something that I had taken for granted. However, many northeast Indians do not have this same luxury and live each day wondering whether the larger Indian populace will ever accept them as Indians. Learning experiences such as these have certainly been challenging and pushed me out of my comfort zone. These are the experiences that I value the most, however, as they have allowed me to grow as a person, reflect, and learn more, both about this vast country and about myself.

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