“The Other One Percent: Indians in America”

Abstract:

People of Indian origin—whether they are Indian-born or American-born—make up about 1% of the U.S. population. While there are several anecdotal accounts of Indians in America as well as scholarly studies on specific sub-groups, The Other One Percent is the first data-driven comprehensive account of the community. The book focuses on three major issues: Selection—the processes by which people from a low-income country have become the highest-income and most-educated group in the U.S; Assimilation—the multiple pathways and challenges of integration while maintaining some aspects of their distinctive identities; and Entrepreneurship—from motels to medicine and finance to technology. Drawing from different academic disciplines, the book examines the entire community, from its successful to its marginal members. The Other One Percent is a follow-up to Kapur’s prior book, Diaspora, Democracy and Development: The Impact of International Migration From India on India, for which he earned a 2012 ENMISA Distinguished Book Award of the International Studies Association.