Presenter(s): Sravya Tadepalli − Political Science, Journalism
Faculty Mentor(s): Natalia Fernandez
Oral Session 2M
Research Area: Social Science
This series of interviews is the one of the first collections of oral histories of the Indian-American community in Oregon. Particularly focusing on the immigrant-generation of Indian-Americans in Corvallis, this interview collection aims to serve as a starting point for historians and social scientists wanting to research the Indian-American community in Corvallis and beyond. Interviews were collected through audio and video recordings and transcribed by the interviewer. Interviews were done primarily with married couples in order to ensure comfort for the interviewees. The interviews were conducted to elicit autobiographies of the individuals profiled including stories of their experiences of cultural adjustment. Three primary findings were developed through this set of interviews, although further analysis of the collection could result in more findings. First, Indians came to Corvallis for diverse reasons. Second, Indian-Americans in Corvallis faced discrimination on a spectrum, with some facing very little racism or discrimination and some facing significant barriers. Third, the narratives and opinions of the immigrant generation of Indian-Americans in Corvallis challenge commonly-held narratives about Indians living in the United States. This work can help to influence histories of Indian immigration to the United States and social science analyses of the immigrant generation of Indian-Americans. Stories about Indian-Americans in Oregon—a place with few South Asians, especially in Corvallis—appear to have not yet been told, and this interview collection is a starting place for these narratives to be shared.