The Invisible Indian Americans

In United States culture, many races are portrayed as a certain stereotype. For example, African Americans are depicted as being “lazy and prone to criminal activity and violence” (274). Stereotypes are also often set for Latinos and Native Americans. However, Indian Americans seem to disappear in the midst of all of this stereotyping. It seems as though they have been “erased” or “silenced” from our society (275). Culture of Indian Americans has been showing up in minimal areas – “scholars have found Orientalist imagery in contemporary Hollywood cinema (Shohat & Stam, 1994), in literature (Viswanathan, 1989), and in news (275). More recently, Indian Americans have been featured in fad magazines like Vogue with an entire spread dedicated to Indian American models (277). Perhaps the most representation Indian Americans get in our culture is through their absence (276).