by Joseph McElrath

While the South Asian American academic community enjoys a variety of professional publications, a journal addressing complex social and political issues for a more general audience does not exist. Many of the journals that feature topics about South Asia focus directly on the subcontinent and are generally targeted to academic experts. And while there are a host of other publications that serve the South Asian American community, most of them provide news or information without analysis.

The Subcontinental: A Journal of South Asian American Political Identity, a new journal that will publish its first issue this fall, will provide a unique forum for the South Asian American community to express the many facets of its political identity. The Subcontinental Institute, a new Austin-based non-profit housing the journal, is committed to engaging a broad base of public support for both the journal and its cumulative benefits. Such benefits will be reaped not only by the South Asian American community in general but also by the Austin community in particular.

Political Identity for South Asian Americans

South Asian Americans have an acute need for a forum in which to discuss their political identity. South Asians have had an impact upon American life since their arrival in New England in the early 1800s. In the late 1800s, a group of South Asians, predominately Sikh, immigrated to northern California and formed the Ghadar political party. Notably, the first and only South Asian American Congressperson, Dalit Singh Saund, was an active member.

Additionally, as an outgrowth of the Civil Rights movement, the United States immigration policy allowed a selective increase in South Asian immigration in the sixties. In dire need of skilled professionals, the U.S. allowed the best and brightest to enter, which enabled many South Asians to achieve economic success in America.

According to the latest U.S. Census, approximately 2.1 million South Asian Americans live in this country. While they have the highest income per capita of any minority group in the United States, they also experience higher rates of poverty than does the white population. And, although the U.S. generally perceives this group positively, South Asian Americans lack a representative body of voices in both the public and private sector, having little cumulative impact on the American political landscape. This prevents them from playing an active role in policymaking and participating in national issue debates.

Yet, South Asian Americans are developing a multi-faceted political identity that is young, but maturing. In creating this identity, South Asian Americans will continue to debate important issues that affect them, such as civil rights abuses and hate crimes, American investment in the Subcontinent and economic and technology issues. U.S.-Subcontinental foreign relations will figure prominently into this discussion as will political activism, South Asian American culture, public health and aging issues, immigration policy, and media representation, to name a few. Therefore, it is imperative that this growing population has organizations and publications that address such issues.

Published every three months, The Subcontinental will showcase research-based, feature-length articles and interviews by experts in and of this community. The journal is designed to be read by an educated general audience, and the first few issues will feature articles by such noted South Asian American experts as Vijay Prashad, author of The Karma of Brown Folk. The journal also will feature Ramesh Rao, Associate Professor of Language and Literature at Truman State University, who was recently quoted in The New Republic, as well as interviews with individuals such as Lata Krishnan, Director of the American India Foundation.

Both the institute and the journal plan to establish a presence in Texas and across the nation. As the journal gains readership, the institute will host meetings and lectures in Austin and other major metropolitan areas. Interaction among individuals, on both the local and national levels, is a critical part of encouraging discourse and building community identity. The Subcontinental Institute is committed to encouraging this discourse within the South Asian American community and sharing the results with all who are interested.

Austin as a Home for The Subcontinental

All organizations are concerned with positioning themselves in strategic conceptual and physical landscapes. And as with many academic disciplines, geography plays an important factor in defining the personality of the organization. The Subcontinental Institute has positioned itself both conceptually and physically in the central portion of the United States. This provides a space for expression outside the intellectual circles of the West Coast and the Northeast. Texas also enjoys an active South Asian American population and is home to one of the top universities in South Asian scholarship.

So why a journal in print? For the most part, web related media does not afford the time for reflection needed when absorbing complex issues and internalizing their importance. The Internet and other forms of media communication often provide information as bits of data or in easily digested chunks. Printed journals, on the other hand, represent not only the ideas they contain but also a commitment to the slower, thoughtful pace necessary to ponder important issues that make the intellectual life a rewarding one.

South Asian Americans continue to make enormous contributions to American life. It is vital that these contributions be chronicled, as they are opportunities to engage the national debate on a variety of issues. A cohesive political identity will allow South Asian Americans to increase their presence in American policymaking and enhance their role in the larger American society. The Subcontinental intends to become a key resource for those developing this presence.

For more information on The Subcontinental, contact Nirav Desai, Editor-in-Chief.