Body Evidence : Intimate Violence Against South Asian Women in America

When South Asians immigrated to the United States in great numbers in the 1970s, they were passionately driven to achieve economic stability and socialize the next generation to retain the traditions of their home culture. During these years, the immigrant community went to great lengths to project an impeccable public image by denying the existence of social problems such as domestic violence, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, mental illness, racism, and intergenerational conflict. It was not until recently that activist groups have worked to bring these issues out into the open.In Body Evidence, more than twenty scholars and public health professionals uncover the unique challenges faced by victims of violence in intimate spaces . . . within families, communities and trusted relationships in South Asian American communities. Topics include cultural obsession with women's chastity and virginity; the continued silence surrounding intimate violence among women who identify themselves as lesbian, bisexual, or transgender; the consequences of refusing marriage proposals or failing to meet dowry demands; and, ultimately, the ways in which the United States courts often confuse and exacerbate the plights of these women. Introduction / Shamita Das Dasgupta -- Understanding South Asian Immigrant Women's Experiences Of Violence / Anitha Venkatramani-kothari -- The Many Faces Of Domestic Violence In The South Asian American Muslim Community / Ruksana Ayyub -- Minority Within A Minority : Reflecting On Marital Violence In The Nepali American Community / Bidya Ranjeet And Bandana Purkayastha -- Virginity Is Everything : Sexuality In The Context Of Intimate Partner Violence In The South Asian Community / Sandeep Hunjan And Shelagh Towson -- The Aftermath Of September 11 : An Anti-domestic Violence Perspective / Maunica Sthanki -- Mental And Emotional Wounds Of Domestic Violence In South Asian Women / Diya Kallivayalil -- Fragmented Self : Violence And Body Image Among South Asian American Women / V.g. Julie Rajan -- Silences That Prevail When The Perpetrators Are Our Own / Grace Poore -- The Violence That Dares Not Speak Its Name : Invisibility In The Lives Of Lesbian And Bisexual South Asian American Women / Prajna Paramita Choudhury -- The Trap Of Multiculturalism : Battered South Asian Women And Health Care / Sunita Puri -- Ahimsa And The Contextual Realities Of Woman Abuse In The Jain Community / Shamita Das Dasgupta And Shashi Jain -- A Communicative Perspective On Assisting Battered Asian Indian Immigrant Women / Mandeep Grewal -- Law's Culture And Cultural Difference / Sharmila Rudrappa -- Middle Class, Documented, And Helpless : The H-4 Visa Bind / Shivali Shah -- Battered South Asian Women In U.s. Courts / Shamita Das Dasgupta -- Navigating Gender, Immigration, And Domestic Violence : Advocacy With Work Visa Holders / Rupaleem Bhuyan -- Local And Global Undivided : Transnational Exploitation And Violence Against South Asian Women / Sujatha Anbuselvi Jesudason -- From Dhaka To Cincinnati : Tracing The Trajectory Of A Transnational Violence Against Women Campaign / Elora Halim Chowdhury. [edited By] Shamita Das Dasgupta. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 275-294) And Index. When South Asians immigrated to the United States in great numbers in the 1970s, they were passionately driven to achieve economic stability and socialize the next generation to retain the traditions of their home culture. During these years, the immigrant community went to great lengths to project an impeccable public image by denying the existence of social problems such as domestic violence, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, mental illness, racism, and intergenerational conflict. It was not until recently that activist groups have worked to bring these issues out into the open. In Body Evidence, more than twenty scholars and public health professionals uncover the unique challenges faced by victims of violence in intimate spaces . . . within families, communities and trusted relationships in South Asian American communities. Topics include cultural obsession with women's chastity and virginity; the continued silence surrounding intimate violence among women who identify themselves as lesbian, bisexual, or transgender; the consequences of refusing marriage proposals or failing to meet dowry demands; and, ultimately, the ways in which the United States courts often confuse and exacerbate the plights of these women. When South Asians immigrated to the United States in the 1970s, they were passionately driven to achieve economic stability and socialize the next generation to retain the traditions of their home culture. The immigrant community went to great lengths to project an impeccable public image by denying the existence of social problems such as domestic violence, sexual assault, mental illness, racism, and intergenerational conflict. It was not until recently that activist groups have worked to bring these issues out into the open. In Body Evidence, more than twenty scholars and public health professionals uncover the unique challenges faced by victims of domestic violence in South Asian American communities. Topics include cultural obsession with women's chastity and virginity; the continued silence surrounding family-based child sexual abuse and intimate violence among women who identify themselves as lesbian, bisexual, or transgender; the consequences of refusing marriage proposals or failing to meet dowry demands; and, ultimately, the ways in which the U.S. courts often confuse and exacerbate the plights of these women