Successful yet Precarious: South Asian Muslim Americans, Islamophobia, and the Model Minority Myth

Abstract

Precariousness is the notion that unstable and temporary employment can induce feelings of vulnerability and insecurity. As a “successful” minority because of their high education levels and economic attainments, South Asian Americans can hardly be described as precarious. However, ethnographic observations reveal a collective precariousness felt by this group. Despite measures of success, their positionality as a racialized and stigmatized religious “Other” induces in them an insecurity akin to that felt by those un(der)employed. They fear that despite their achievements, they can be discriminated against in their workplace because of their race and religion. This anxiety influences their education and career choices, and political engagements. Theoretically, precariousness is largely conceptualized as a phenomenon contained within national borders. However, South Asian Muslim Americans’ precariousness is influenced by that of Muslims of other nationalities abroad, underscoring the transnational dimension of precariousness and how it can extend beyond immediate networks and physical borders.