Constructing the “new ethnicities”: media, sexuality, and diaspora identity in the lives of South Asian immigrant girls

Abstract

Abstract This paper posits that adolescence, as experienced by girls of immigrant diaspora groups, is complicated by issues of race, culture and nation that intersect with discourses of sex and gender. In terms of globalization theory, sexuality is conceptualized as a locus of cultural hybridization; media representations of sexuality often mark the global/local nexus for diaspora peoples. In this study, a series of in‐depth interviews were conducted with South Asian American girls in order to analyze the role of media in their sexual identity constructions. The focus group data revealed radical rearticulations of sexual identity from an "interstitial" audience position that involved oppositional readings of various media texts. These rearticulations can be seen as part of the project of forging new ethnicities in the diaspora context. Notes Meenakshi Gigi Durham is Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Iowa. Correspondence to: School of Journalism and Mass Communication, 615 Seashore Hall W, Iowa City, IA 52242‐1401, U.S. Email: gigi‐durham@uiowa.edu. The research for this paper was conducted with the assistance of an Old Gold Summer Research Fellowship from the University of Iowa's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The author wishes to thank Professor Hemant Shah and his graduate students for their comments on earlier versions of this essay, and Frank Durham for his unwavering support. Thanks also to the girls and families who allowed me into their lives for this research. The study participants and their parents signed informed consent and assent forms prior to participating in this study. The forms guaranteed them confidentiality and met the requirements of the Institutional Review Board of the University of Iowa Office of Human Subjects, which reviewed and approved this study. Names of all participants have been changed to help ensure confidentiality. For the same reason, other personal data have been omitted. Bal Vihar refers to the Hindu religious educational program that three of the girls (Ria, Kiran, and Divya) attended. Additional informationNotes on contributorsMeenakshi Gigi Durham Footnote Meenakshi Gigi Durham is Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Iowa. Correspondence to: School of Journalism and Mass Communication, 615 Seashore Hall W, Iowa City, IA 52242‐1401, U.S. Email: gigi‐durham@uiowa.edu. The research for this paper was conducted with the assistance of an Old Gold Summer Research Fellowship from the University of Iowa's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The author wishes to thank Professor Hemant Shah and his graduate students for their comments on earlier versions of this essay, and Frank Durham for his unwavering support. Thanks also to the girls and families who allowed me into their lives for this research.