South Asian Traditions in America: The Hindu Experiences

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South Asian Traditions in America: The Hindu Experiences
In this week's reading, I have learnt technological advancement have globalized the world economies but have done nothing to change religion. Religion is still the greatest influence in the world. Ethnic and religious identities have shaped India and their belief system for decades, with increased number of Indian immigrants in the US, many scholars have expressed concerns about Indian identity in the United States, and they believe that Indians are losing their identity (Bhalla 118).
In an article titled "the new Indians: Reconstructing Indian identity in the United States, Vibha Bhalla justifies why Indian immigrants in the US are evolving creating a pan –Indian identity. He argues that identity is fluid and the need for migration has permitted Indians to reinvent themselves in the US to become agents of change. Scholars like Joanne Nagel justify identity formation stating that identity is socially constructed. Identity and culture are like building blocks to civilization, these two elements act as boundaries that protect an ethnic group (Bhalla 119).
Vibha justifies his arguments presenting why Indian identity have changed; he presents sample letters by Biswas an immigrant newspaper editor to understand the transformation of Indian immigrants to self-identified ethnic groups in the US. Biswas letters question where have all the Indians have gone, he wonders what makes people Indian and what defines national and cultural identity. Biswas presents these two important questions helps Indians disseminate accurate information about Indian identity among the second generation Indians (Bhalla 123).
Hinduism is the oldest religion and the third largest region in the world. There are more than one billion Hindus with 2 million living in the US. Unlike other cultures, Indian culture has significantly influenced Americans. Practices like yoga, sexual chastity and vegetarianism are widely adopted by American cultures (Lee 74). Unlike Vibha, Jonathan Lee is concerned about the misappropriation of the Hindu culture that is best described by secularization thesis.
According to the secularization thesis, societies become civilized and modernize, and religi...