scholarly journals Intergenerational Exchanges In Aging South Asian Muslim Families: An Intersectional Lifecourse Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 320-321
Author(s):  
Mushira Khan ◽  
Karen Kobayashi ◽  
Andre Smith

Abstract International migration flows are increasing at a rapid pace and are often accompanied by emergent global realities, (re)negotiation of identities and familial bonds, anticipated challenges, and unforeseen exigencies. Concomitantly, advances in public health have resulted in longer lives with an increasing proportion of the global population now 65 years and older. While these demographic shifts have received considerable research attention, little is known about aging South Asian Muslim families in the US and the ways in which they adjust and adapt to shifting social realities. To address this gap, this qualitative study explores the intersections of faith, culture, gender, age, and immigrant status, and how these seminal life course events shape intergenerational care and support exchanges in South Asian Muslim families. Building on findings from 30 in-depth narrative interviews with three generations of immigrant South Asian Muslim women, and using an intersectional lifecourse perspective, this study explores the (re)negotiation of familial bonds and the enactment of religious beliefs and practices such as those around filial expectations in a transnational Islamic context. It shows how, for the grandmothers, daughters, and granddaughters in the study, their Islamic faith was a part of both the public sphere and a collective ideology, as well as a deeply personal and intimate attachment that provided structure and continuity in their everyday lives. Finally, the implications of these findings in the broader context of Islamophobia and salient structural barriers to accessing available health and social support services for aging South Asian Muslim families are discussed.

2021 ◽  
pp. 205789112110211
Author(s):  
Zafar Khan

This article primarily focuses on how the increasing US–China competing strategies in Asia-Pacific affect the policies of South Asian rivals India and Pakistan when, on the one hand, the US as part of its offshore balancing grand strategy has been increasing its strategic partnership with India through the transfer of emerging technologies in terms of military modernization process, and on the other hand, China and Pakistan have improved their geo-economic and geostrategic partnership as part of the Chinese grand strategy via the Belt and Road Initiative while enabling Pakistan to produce effective countermeasures against its potential adversary. The article presumes that, in doing so, such competing strategies frame a quadrangle setting comprising of US and India to deter and contain China on the one hand and China and Pakistan to produce countermeasures and try to create a balance to potentially prevent the risk of conflict in South Asia out of such competing strategies at the quadrangle order conceived here. However, in fact, neither the US nor rising China would desire such a possibility of conflict otherwise unintendedly occurring from the intense US–China competing strategies while affecting the policies of the South Asian rivals. The article concludes that the shaping of this quadrangle framework may bring both opportunities and challenges for the South Asian rivals. It also concludes that the more intense the competition between the US and China becomes, the more intense its implications could be on the South Asian rivals, while the reduced tension between China and the US, although unlikely, would have reduced pressure on India and Pakistan relations as well.


Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Flowers ◽  
Cesar Molina ◽  
Ashish Mathur ◽  
Bradley Aouizerat ◽  
Mintu Turakhia

Background South Asians have increased disk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) that is not captured by traditional risk factors, including TC and LDL-c. Low-density apolipoprotein-B (apoB) containing lipoproteins are heterogeneous in size and composition, and the particles with the greatest triglyceride content are thought to ultimately be the most atherogenic. Specific composition of low-density lipoproteins is not captured by common lipid measures (i.e. TC, LDL-c). A high proportion of triglyceride-rich low-density lipoproteins could be a mechanism for CVD risk in South Asians. Our objective was to compare mean TC, LDL-c, HDL-c, triglycerides, and apoB-triglyceride ratio (an estimate of low-density lipoprotein content) between South Asian-Americans and the US population. Methods We studied 2,876 South Asian adults living in the United States participating in a wellness program. Demographics were obtained by self-report. Lipoprotein levels were measured after 10-hour fast. US population means were calculated from NHANES (2007-2008, n = 5,113). Individuals on lipid-lowering therapy were excluded (780 (33%) South Asians, 1,194 (19%) NHANES). Results LDL-c (118mg/dL vs 116mg/dL, p<0.05) and triglycerides (139mg/dL vs 131 mg/dL, p<0.05) were higher in South Asians than the US population, whereas TC was lower (192mg/dL vs 197 mg/dL, p<0.05). HDL-c was lower in South Asians (46mg/dL vs 52mg/dL, p<0.05). ApoB was not statistically significantly different (93mg/dL vs 92mg/dL, p = 0.1), however the apoB/triglyceride ratio was lower in South Asians (0.8 vs 0.9, p<0.05). After stratifying for age by decade and gender, we found that South Asians have lower HDL-c until the age of 50, and lower apoB/triglyceride ratio until the age of 60, with no substantial differences between men and women. Conclusions Mean TC, LDL-c, and triglycerides were normal in South Asians, however the apoB/triglyceride ratio was lower in South Asians than in the US population. This finding indicates that a higher proportion of low-density lipoproteins in South Asians are of the triglyceride-rich atherogenic type. This may portend non-HDL-c as a better indicator of CVD risk than LDL-c in South Asians. Further, low apoB/triglyceride ratio and low HDL-c occurs at a young age in South Asians, suggesting that onset of risk is early. The disappearance of these patterns after age 60 may be the result of sample bias (excluding individuals on lipid lowering therapy), and/or survival bias.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nausheen Pasha-Zaidi ◽  
Meg Aum Warren ◽  
Yvonne Pilar El Ashmawi ◽  
Neneh Kowai-Bell

Increased social justice awareness in the United States and shifting demographics are giving birth to a more diverse and egalitarian generation. Improving relations across social categories has been a key topic in di-versity, equity, and inclusion work, but less emphasis has been placed on cross-racial allyship within mi-nority populations. While allyship in racial contexts is often perceived as a White versus non-White issue, this binary position erases the diversity that exists within communities of color. A dichotomous approach to allyship that positions White heterosexual males as the primary holders of privilege does not address the disparities that exist within and across minoritized communities. While Arabs and South Asians are minori-ties in the US on a macrolevel, they often hold privileged positions in Islamic centers and other Muslim spaces—even though Black Americans make up a larger percentage of the Muslim population. Additional-ly, there is an increasing number of Latino/a Muslims in the US, but they are often invisible in larger con-versations about Islam in America as well as in discourse among Muslim Americans. In this chapter, we explore the concept of allyship and how South Asian and Arab Muslims can support and advocate for Black and Latino/a Muslims in American Islamic centers. We also discuss Islamophobia in the US as well as the anti-Blackness and racism that exists within Muslim communities and provide suggestions on how Islamic centers can serve as spaces of allyship and cross-racial dialogue.


2014 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rizwan Mushtaq ◽  
Zulfiqar Shah

This paper explores the dynamic liaison between US and three developing South Asian equity markets in short and long term. To gauge the long-term relationship, we applied Johansen co-integration procedure as all the representative indices are found to be non-stationary at level. The findings illustrate that the US equity market index exhibits a reasonably different movement over time in contrast to the three developing equity markets under consideration. However, the Granger-causality test divulge that the direction of causality scamper from US equity market to the three South Asian markets. It further indicates that within the three developing equity markets the direction of causality emanates from Bombay stock market to Karachi and Colombo. Overall, the results of the study suggest that the American investors can get higher returns through international diversification into developing equity markets, while the US stock market would also be a gainful upshot for South Asian investors.


2014 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Greenhalgh ◽  
Megan Carney

For years now, the United States has faced an "obesity epidemic" that, according to the dominant narrative, is harming the nation by worsening the health burden, raising health costs, and undermining productivity. Much of the responsibility is laid at the foot of Blacks and Latinos, who have higher levels of obesity. Latinos have provoked particular concern because of their rising numbers. Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Campaign is now targeting Latinos. Like the national anti-obesity campaign, it locates the problem in ignorance and calls on the Latino community to "own" the issue and take personal responsibility by embracing healthier beliefs and behaviors. In this article, we argue that this dominant approach to obesity is misguided and damaging because it ignores the political-economic sources of Latino obesity and the political-moral dynamics of biocitizenship in which the issue is playing out. Drawing on two sets of ethnographic data on Latino immigrants and United States-born Latinos in southern California, we show that Latinos already "own" the obesity issue; far from being "ignorant," they are fully aware of the importance of a healthy diet, exercise, and normal weight. What prevents them from becoming properly thin, fit biocitizens are structural barriers associated with migration and assimilation into the low-wage sector of the US economy. Failure to attain the normative body has led them to internalize the identity of bad citizens, assume personal responsibility for their failure, naturalize the conditions for this failure, and feel that they deserve this fate. We argue that the blaming of minorities for the obesity epidemic constitutes a form of symbolic violence that furthers what Berlant calls the "slow death" of structurally vulnerable populations, even as it deepens their health risks by failing to address the fundamental sources of their higher weights.


Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica S Divakaruni ◽  
Fahim Abbasi ◽  
Manisha Desai ◽  
Cynthia A Lamendola ◽  
Latha Palaniappan ◽  
...  

Introduction: Insulin resistance (IR) is a known risk factor for heart disease. Few studies have compared race/ethnic differences in IR using ‘gold standard’ direct measures of insulin sensitivity. Methods: A total of 892 non-diabetic subjects (548 White, 106 South Asian, 103 East Asian, 86 Hispanic and 49 Black) underwent a 4-hour insulin suppression test (IST) as a part of various IR related studies at Stanford over the last ∼20 years. We used generalized estimating equations assuming an exchangeable correlation structure to determine the association between race/ethnicity and steady state plasma glucose (SSPG) derived from an IST, accounting for correlation of outcomes among subjects from the same study. We similarly determined whether differences in plasma triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels among race/ethnic groups could be explained by differences in SSPG. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and BMI. Results: Significant differences among the race/ethnic groups in SSPG were observed (p <0.001). South Asians were the most insulin resistant group with a mean increase in SSPG of 38 mg/dL, compared to whites after controlling for age, sex, and BMI, a difference equivalent to ∼1/2 of the standard deviation of SSPG. East Asians were the next most resistant group (mean +33 mg/dl SSPG compared to whites) followed by Hispanics (+20 mg/dl), Whites, and Blacks (−7 mg/dl). South Asians were the only group with significantly higher TG (mean +1.16 fold, p=0.04) and lower HDL (−3.0 mg/dl, p=0.02) levels compared to whites but these differences were no longer evident after controlling for SSPG. In contrast, Blacks had significantly lower TG (mean 0.8 fold, p = 0.006) compared to whites, but this difference was not at all mitigated after adjusting for SSPG. Blacks also had no significant differences in HDL compared to whites. Conclusions: Direct measures of insulin sensitivity suggest that South Asians are the most insulin resistant race/ethnic group in the US even after adjusting for the principal determinants of IR. IR may be largely responsible for differences in TG and HDL observed between South Asian and other race/ethnic groups. The etiologies behind differences in insulin sensitivity across race/ethnic groups remain to be determined.


2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen McDonagh

American women attain more professional success in medicine, business, and higher education than do most of their counterparts around the world. An enduring puzzle is, therefore, why the US lags so far behind other countries when it comes to women's political representation. In 2008, women held only 16.8 percent of seats in the House of Representatives, a proportion that ranks America lower than 83 other countries. This article addresses this conundrum. It establishes that equal rights alone are insufficient to ensure equal access to political office. Also necessary are public policies representing maternal traits that voters associate with women. Such policies have feedback effects that teach voters that the maternal traits attributed to women represent strengths not only in the private sphere of the home but also in the public sphere of the state. Most other democracies now have such policies in place, but the United States lacks such policies, which accounts for its laggard status with regard to the political representation of women.


AIDS Care ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1459-1468 ◽  
Author(s):  
April D. Kimmel ◽  
Steven P. Masiano ◽  
Rose S. Bono ◽  
Erika G. Martin ◽  
Faye Z. Belgrave ◽  
...  

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