Purchase

Amazon

Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Powell's Books

Books-A-Million

Indie BookShop

Ripped Bodice

Add to Wish List

Also by Pawan Dhingra:

Life Behind the Lobby, May 2012
Paperback / e-Book

Life Behind the Lobby
Pawan Dhingra

Indian American Motel Owners and the American Dream

Stanford University Press
May 2012
On Sale: April 25, 2012
264 pages
ISBN: 0804778833
EAN: 9780804778831
Kindle: B0081947YC
Paperback / e-Book
Add to Wish List

Non-Fiction History

Indian Americans own about half of all the motels in the United States. Even more remarkable, most of these motel owners come from the same region in India and—although they are not all related—seventy percent of them share the surname of Patel. Most of these motel owners arrived in the United States with few resources and, broadly speaking, they are self-employed, self-sufficient immigrants who have become successful—they live the American dream. However, framing this group as embodying the American dream has profound implications. It perpetuates the idea of American exceptionalism—that this nation creates opportunities for newcomers unattainable elsewhere—and also downplays the inequalities of race, gender, culture, and globalization immigrants continue to face. Despite their dominance in the motel industry, Indian American moteliers are concentrated in lower- and mid-budget markets. Life Behind the Lobby explains Indian Americans' simultaneous accomplishments and marginalization and takes a close look at their own role in sustaining that duality.

Comments

No comments posted.

Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!