Negotiating the State: Hoping to Belong

Abstract

In this chapter, I explore the impact of race and social class in the settlement patterns of Punjabi immigrants by looking at how these variables manifest at the initial moment of contact at the borders between the immigrant and the nationstate. Although this moment may not directly predict the exact paths of integration followed by the immigrants, it does shed light on the “context of reception.” How are the immigrants received? Are they embraced without reservation? Or is their arrival at the shores viewed with skepticism? Do their reasons for immigration and methods of entry matter in their reception by the nation? And, more specifically, how do the factors of race and social class influence the quality of contact between the immigrant and the nation? The macro-level analysis is focused on the impact of race and economic interests (that yield a certain class effect for the Punjabis) on the formulation of immigration laws used by the Punjabi immigrants to enter the nation. These laws, I argue, shed light on the overall mood of the society toward the immigrants. Understanding this mood will further shed light on the possible ease or difficulty that lay in the way of their adaptation. In contrast, the micro-level analysis is focused on the extent to which race and class of the Punjabi immigrants shaped their strategies of entry into the nation.