ABSTRACT
SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITIES South Asians-representing the seven countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka-have significant commonalities in their colonial pasts, migration patterns, and traditions in America, although they also display often sharp religious and political differences. Various social and cultural organizations use the phrase “South Asian” to identify the common experiences of these groups in America, such as the South Asian Student Association, active on many college campuses, or organizations such as the South Asian Heritage Foundation, National South Asian Bar Association, and the South Asian Gay and Lesbian Association. In addition, academic centers such as the Center for South Asian Studies at the University of Virginia and the Center for South Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, accept the premise that the homelands are culturally and politically integrated. While maintaining ethnic distinctions, Americans of South Asian heritage often come together for social functions and cultural displays such as folk festivals. Particularly large and active South Asian communities, supported by these social and cultural centers, have been established in the late twentieth century in New York City, Washington, D.C., Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Boston.
