‘This is our culture!’ or is it? Second generation Asian Indian individuals’ perceptions of parents’ socialization messages

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how second generation immigrants perceive their parents’ socialization messages in the context of parental surveillance or monitoring. Thirteen second-generation Asian Indian American individuals (19 to 23 years old) who were raised in the US by parents who had migrated from India were interviewed and asked to recall conversations with their parents within the context of socialization. The interviews revealed that second generation immigrant individuals assessed their parents’ messages with reference to their experiences with the social environment. The participants noted contradictions between parents’ messages and the environment and questioned the expertise and credibility of parents. The findings suggest that, when seen through the eyes of the second generation, immigrant parents are vulnerable to loss of power as socialization agents.