Shania Baweja
Research Mentor(s): Sara Morell
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Department of Political Science
Presentation Date: 08/03/2022
Presentation Type: Poster
Poster Number: 20
Session: Session II: 1:30 – 2:20pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Shania Baweja
Abstract
In this literature review, I will be inquiring about how South Asian women express their identities on the campaign trail, in order to understand how ethnoreligious and gender identity-based strategies affect the underrepresented group of South Asians. Asian American candidates vary tremendously across race, ethnicity, and religion, impacting both how they relate to their identity and how voters perceive them. Prior literature on the South Asian diaspora discusses the erasure of ethnic features during political candidacy, the influence of South Asian-based nationalism, and the tendency for South Asians to conform to western leadership standards. South Asian women have unique interactions with different patriarchal structures so I expect that they will differ greatly in campaign strategies in comparison to other female candidates. Since much of these mentioned patriarchal structures are experienced through cultural and family values, I expect a variation dependent on immigration. I will be reviewing literature comparing different ethnoreligious groups of South Asian candidates as well as in comparison with candidates from other ethnic groups, to observe differences in how they appeal to voters. Additionally, I will focus on literature that discusses identity at a broad level as well as texts that are studying South Asian political participation. I expect some female South Asian candidates to be influenced by progressive pan-ethnic sovereignty while others may follow pan-religious appeal (primarily Hindu or Muslim). Much of this categorization is also influenced by how close South Asian individuals are to the politics of their home country.
