South Asian Youth in Canada : Young Women Negotiating Mainstream Representations of Colour

10.32920/ryerson.14649045.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nimrit Saini

Keyword(s):

South Asian ◽

Media Representations ◽

Asian Women ◽

Asian Woman ◽

Colonial History ◽

Semiotic Analysis ◽

Dominant Ideology ◽

Light Skin ◽

Asian Context ◽

Asian Youth

South Asian women in Canada negotiate mainstream representations of skin colour, in a context where light skin is systemically privileged through marketing “whiteness” as a desirable and attainable ideal for beauty and success. A semiotic analysis of two web spaces target at young, South Asian woman in the West will be undertaken, to reveal the constructions of colour which favour dominant ideology. However, it can also be seen that such spaces serve as a means to challenge hegemonic constructions and provide a platform for South Asian visibility in the mainstream. In considering colourism within the South Asian context, it is imperative to reflect on systemic power imbalances and colonial history, which have shaped the experiences of South Asian communities. Key words: South Asia; Gender; Colourism; Youth; Semiotic analysis; Media representations.

Download Full-text

Menopause and the Asian Woman

The Journal of South Asian Federation of Menopause Societies ◽

10.5005/jp-journals-10032-1028 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 23-25

Author(s):

Sumbul Sohail

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

South Asian ◽

Well Being ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Asian Women ◽

Asian Woman ◽

Accompanying Symptoms

ABSTRACT Menopause is an event that typically occurs in women in midlife. For some women, the accompanying symptoms can significantly disrupt their daily activities and sense of well being. It has long been known that menopause is much easier for Asian women than for westerners. A systematic review of articles on Asian women is done, the objective of which is to find out evidence on Asian women experience and perception of menopause. How to cite this article Sohail S. Menopause and the Asian Woman. J South Asian Feder Menopause Soc 2014;2(1):23-25.

Download Full-text

Mainstreaming Third-Gender Healers: The Changing Perceptions of South Asian Hijras

Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Journal ◽

10.15695/vurj.v9i0.3798 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Pooja Jagadish

Keyword(s):

South Asian ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Media Representations ◽

Cultural Significance ◽

Gender Group ◽

Media Attention ◽

Religious Significance ◽

British Rule ◽

False Identity ◽

Third Gender

Mainstreaming is the act of bringing public light to a population or issue, but it can have a deleterious impact on the individuals being discussed. Hijras comprise a third-gender group that has long had cultural and religious significance within South Asian societies. Described as being neither male nor female, hijras were once called upon for their religious powers to bless and curse. However, after the British rule and in the wake of more-recent media attention, the hijra identity has been scrutinized under a harsh Western gaze. It forces non-Western populations to be viewed in terms of binaries, such as either male or female, and it classifies them by inapplicable Western terms. For example, categorizing a hijra as transgendered obfuscates the cultural significance that the term hijra conveys within their societies. Furthermore, media representations of hijras cause consumers to view themselves as more natural, while hijras become objectified as occupying a false identity. This has caused them to be pigeonholed within the very societies that once legitimated their existence and respected them for their powers. With their cultural practices being seen as outmoded, and their differences from Western people be- ing pointed out in the news and on television, hijras have faced significant discrimination and ridicule. After providing a discussion of relevant Western and non-Western concepts, I seek to describe hijras and the effects of mainstreaming on their lives. Finally, I offer a critique of cur- rent research on this population and provide solutions to improve their plight.

Download Full-text

(Un)Settling Imagined Lands

The Oxford Handbook of Methods for Public Scholarship ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190274481.013.36 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 174-208

Author(s):

Kakali Bhattacharya

Keyword(s):

South Asian ◽

Empirical Work ◽

Asian Women ◽

South Asian Women ◽

The South ◽

Global North ◽

Research Praxis ◽

Global Agenda ◽

Academic Discourses

De/colonial methodologies and ontoepistemologies have gained popularity in the academic discourses emerging from Global North perspectives over the last decade. However, such perspectives often erase the broader global agenda of de/colonizing research, praxis, and activism that could be initiated and engaged with beyond the issue of land repatriation, as that is not the only agenda in de/colonial initiatives. In this chapter, I coin a framework, Par/Des(i), with six tenets, and offer three actionable methodological turns grounded in transnational de/colonial ontoepistemologies. I locate, situate, and trace the Par/Des(i) framework within the South Asian diasporic discourses and lived realities as evidenced from my empirical work with transnational South Asian women, my community, and my colleagues. Therefore, I offer possibilities of being, knowing, and enacting de/colonizing methodologies in our work, when engaging with the Par/Des(i) framework, with an invitation for an expanded conversation.

Download Full-text

Gestational diabetes mellitus: a qualitative study of lived experiences of South Asian immigrant women and perspectives of their health care providers in Melbourne, Australia

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-021-03981-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mridula Bandyopadhyay

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Gestational Diabetes ◽

South Asian ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Lived Experiences ◽

Lifestyle Modification ◽

Self Management ◽

Asian Women ◽

Care Providers ◽

South Asian Women

Abstract Background South Asian women are at a high risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus than other women in Australia. Gestational diabetes affects up to 14–19% of all pregnancies among South Asian, South East Asian, and Arabic populations placing women at risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although, gestational diabetes resolves after childbirth, women with gestational diabetes are up to seven times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes within five to ten years of the index pregnancy. Increasingly, South Asian women are being diagnosed with gestational diabetes in Australia. Therefore, we aimed to gain a better understanding of the lived experiences of South Asian women and their experiences of self-management and their health care providers’ perspectives of treatment strategies. Methods Using an ethnographic qualitative research methodology, semi-structured one-on-one, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 21 health care providers involved in gestational diabetes management and treatment from the three largest tertiary level maternity hospitals in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 South Asian women post diagnosis between 24–28 weeks gestation in pregnancy. Results Health care providers had challenges in providing care to South Asian women. The main challenge was to get women to self-manage their blood glucose levels with lifestyle modification. Whilst, women felt self-management information provided were inadequate and inappropriate to their needs. Women felt ‘losing control over their pregnancy’, because of being preoccupied with diet and exercise to control their blood glucose level. Conclusions The gestational diabetes clinical practice at the study hospitals were unable to meet consumer expectations. Health care providers need to be familiar of diverse patient cultures, rather than applying the current ‘one size fits all’ approach that failed to engage and meet the needs of immigrant and ethnic women. Future enabling strategies should aim to co-design and develop low Glycaemic Index diet plans of staple South Asian foods and lifestyle modification messages.

Download Full-text

Understanding staff views and experiences of a clinical practice change to reduce stillbirth in South Asian women: A cross-sectional survey

Women and Birth ◽

10.1016/j.wombi.2020.07.010 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Miranda Davies-Tuck ◽

Mikayla Ruzic ◽

Mary-Ann Davey ◽

Ryan Hodges ◽

Benjamin Nowotny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

South Asian ◽

Practice Change ◽

Asian Women ◽

South Asian Women ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Clinical Practice Change

Download Full-text

2.4-O2Do son-biased sex ratios at birth persist among second generation South Asian women in Ontario, Canada?

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/cky047.063 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

S Wanigaratne ◽

M Urquia

Keyword(s):

South Asian ◽

Second Generation ◽

Sex Ratios ◽

Asian Women ◽

South Asian Women

Download Full-text

A systematic review of barriers and enablers to South Asian women’s attendance for asymptomatic screening of breast and cervical cancers in emigrant countries

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020892 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. e020892 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Rachel Mary Anderson de Cuevas ◽

Pooja Saini ◽

Deborah Roberts ◽

Kinta Beaver ◽

Mysore Chandrashekar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

South Asian ◽

Asian Women ◽

South Asian Women ◽

Analysis Method ◽

Asian Populations ◽

Breast And Cervical Cancer ◽

Social Structural ◽

Behavioural Factors ◽

Screening Attendance

ObjectivesThe aim of this review was to identify the cultural, social, structural and behavioural factors that influence asymptomatic breast and cervical cancer screening attendance in South Asian populations, in order to improve uptake and propose priorities for further research.DesignA systematic review of the literature for inductive, comparative, prospective and intervention studies. We searched the following databases: MEDLINE/In-Process, Web of Science, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, CDSR, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES from database inception to 23 January 2018. The review included studies on the cultural, social, structural and behavioural factors that influence asymptomatic breast and cervical cancer screening attendance and cervical smear testing (Papanicolaou test) in South Asian populations and those published in the English language. The framework analysis method was used and themes were drawn out following the thematic analysis method.SettingsAsymptomatic breast or cervical screening.ParticipantsSouth Asian women, including Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bhutanese, Maldivian and Nepali populations.Results51 included studies were published between 1991 and 2018. Sample sizes ranged from 25 to 38 733 and participants had a mean age of 18 to 83 years. Our review showed that South Asian women generally had lower screening rates than host country women. South Asian women had poorer knowledge of cancer and cancer prevention and experienced more barriers to screening. Cultural practices and assumptions influenced understandings of cancer and prevention, emphasising the importance of host country cultures and healthcare systems.ConclusionsHigh-quality research on screening attendance is required using prospective designs, where objectively validated attendance is predicted from cultural understandings, beliefs, norms and practices, thus informing policy on targeting relevant public health messages to the South Asian communities about screening for cancer.PROSPERO registration numberCSD 42015025284.

Download Full-text