1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910779265903321

Autore

Dhingra Pawan

Titolo

Life behind the lobby [[electronic resource] ] : Indian motel owners and the American dream / / Pawan Dhingra

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Stanford, California, : Stanford University Press, 2012

ISBN

0-8047-8202-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (265 p.)

Disciplina

647.94089/91411073

Soggetti

East Indian American businesspeople

East Indian Americans - Economic conditions

East Indian Americans - Social conditions

Motels - United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. Building the Diaspora; 2. Reaching for the American Dream; 3. Business Hardships and Immigrant Realities; 4. Professional Appearances and Backstage Hierarchies; 5. The Possibility of Belonging; Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Sommario/riassunto

Indian Americans own about half of all the motels in the United States. Even more remarkable, most of these motel owners come from the same region in India and-although they are not all related-seventy percent of them share the surname of Patel. Most of these motel owners arrived in the United States with few resources and, broadly speaking, they are self-employed, self-sufficient immigrants who have become successful-they live the American dream. However, framing this group as embodying the American dream has profound implications. It perpetuates the idea of American exceptionali