Leaning In and Merging Paths: The Professional Journeys of Indian Immigrant Women in the United States

Dr. Bidisha Biswas, Professor, Department of Political Science

Winter 2017

Bidisha Biswas presents perspectives from her recent, co-authored book Indian Immigrant Women and Work: The American Experience. The book challenges dominant narratives about women immigrants to the United States, which portray women as being either dependent migrants following the path chosen by men, or victims of desperation, forced into the migrant path due to economic pressures. Biswas’s research looks at the experiences of Indian women who have chosen their own migratory pathways in the U.S. Based on historical research and interviews with about thirty women, the book widens our understanding of immigration, race, class, and gender by focusing on the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of independent, high-skilled women immigrants.