Julia Carlstad

Honors 232 C
Due: June 6, 2013
Becoming American through Civic Engagement despite Family Pressure
The identity of the 1.5 generation lands somewhere on a spectrum between their ethnic
identity and an American identity as they spend their formative adolescence in the United States.
Immigrants can choose many paths of engagement with their ethnic community, with the greater
American community, or not at all. Each of these choices shapes their identity, and many times,
those that discover Western culture through participation identify most with the host culture.
When the 1.5 or second-generation takes a path of assimilation they can become separated from
their ethnicity. Familial tensions which result can confuse the children, as they are pushed to find
success in a new culture, which requires a certain level of assimilation, while being pressured to
maintain strong ties to their roots.
I had an informative discussion about identity and civic engagement with a 1.5 generation
Pakistani immigrant, Kumar Mahmood1. I will use this interview to build my essay and explore
how his experiences relate to those of other immigrants. First, I will give background to Kumars
immigration, moving into how he has engaged in civic life in the United States. I will then
discuss how he learned this engaged mindset and that his engagement allowed for the creation of
his identity. I will conclude with a discussion of how Kumars parents are fighting to prevent full
assimilation which has created contradictions in Kumars upbringing and reflects a common
theme in the life of immigrants.
Immigrant Background
Kumar Mahmood was born in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan in March of 1993. He spent the first
seven years of his life in Pakistan, being raised mostly by his grandparents and then moved to
1 Name of interviewee has been changed to respect confidentiality
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Canada in 2000 to live just outside of Toronto. His family was somewhat transitory for a few
years, living in Canada for about a year and then returning to Pakistan for a few months. This
lifestyle continued until 2005 when he spent his 6th grade school year at a private school in
Pakistan before permanently moving to Canada and gaining Canadian citizenship. During this
time Kumar was able to experience the difference in schooling practices between Pakistan and
the Western society. Though his initial movement to Canada occurred at an early age, this
transitory period gave him experience in both cultures and truly makes him a 1.5 generation
immigrant. His mother got a job in the United States to complete her residency just outside of
Washington DC, which allowed her to get a student visa and the rest of the family to come as her
dependents. They immigrated to the US in 2006 and lived just outside Washington, DC in
Bethesda, Maryland. Kumar graduated high school in 2011 and elected to move across the
country to attend the University of Washington in Seattle.
The Mahmood familys main purpose in moving to the United States was to open career
opportunities for the children around the world. Kumar expresses the idea that a degree from a
university in the United States is recognized all around the world. This is reflected in his parents
pressure to do well in school by studying all the time to become a doctor regardless of his
passion. They call him seven to ten times a day to ensure that he is studying and not wasting
time with friends. When the family first immigrated to the United States they chose to live in a
very wealthy county in Maryland in order to have access to high quality public schools. This
decision meant that his parents were separated from the majority of the Pakistani and Indian
population forcing them to be very isolated from their own culture. Kumar believes that his
parents only had one friend during their time in Maryland because they did not relate to AngloAmerica. In fact, Kumar heard his father say that he couldnt actually imagine connecting with

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anybody because they didnt speak the same language even though both his parents are fluent in
English. He believes that they just didnt want to make the effort to, kind of, change cultures
(Personal Interview). From these examples it is clear that the Mahmood familys decision to
immigrate was not to become a part of the American melting pot but rather to seek out a better
life for their children. This desire weaves its way through many immigrant ethnographies,
particularly those of the Asian model minority. The Chinese immigrants in Across Generations
have the similar problem as those who go to white middle-class suburbs are more detached
from the existing ethnic community and have a harder time rebuilding social networks based on
common origins and a common cultural heritage (Zhou 27). Like the Mahmood family, the
Chinese-Americans immigrate to primarily white communities in order to have access to the
resources, particularly the higher achieving school system, of a wealthier neighborhood.
From my interview with Kumar Mahmood it became clear that he took the immigration
further than his parents wanted when he embraced the American identity. They had not intended
for their children to become white, only to gain an education that will be recognized globally.
This created tensions across generations, similar again to those faced by Asian immigrants. The
Chinese first-generation try to acculturate or assimilate into American society, but only in ways
that facilitate the attainment of these goals. The children, in contrast, want more. They aspire to
be fully American (Zhou 27). Like the Chinese second-generation in Min Zhous article, Kumar
is fully American and wants to embrace all aspects of adult life from the American perspective.
Civic Engagement
Like many 1.5 and second-generation students Kumars parents have pushed him to be
active so that he can have a well-rounded resume that appeals to universities and employers. He
also chose to become involved in issues that were important to him as someone who identifies as

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an American. The active role that he has taken, even while lacking citizenship, has created an
American identity that is separate from the ethnic identity to which is parents cling.
Even though he no longer practices Islam he worked with others to make the Muslim
holiday of Eid a holiday for the schools. This holiday, celebrating the end of Ramadan, usually
coincided with exams so students couldnt miss school and instead had to skip out on their
important religious holiday. Kumar worked with the Muslim Student Association at his school to
bring a petition to other major schools in the district. In the end, the movement died out because
high school students didnt have enough support to follow through, but Kumar learned about
American policy-making during this experience. On a government scale there has been some
push for the holiday as there have been invitations to Muslims to have the Eid celebration in the
White House (Williams 191). Even with these movements for religious equality, discrimination
against those who practice Islam has become widespread in the United States after 9/11 and
Kumars family is greatly aware of this. They encouraged Kumar to not be involved in the
Muslim Student Association at his high schools because they thought that schools and employers
would view it as a negative association on a resume, even though they wanted him to practice
Islam at home. This feeling is widespread as one article discusses the integration of Muslims into
America as being more difficult in some ways because of the suspicion of Islam and
discrimination against Muslims is common among Americans (Williams 191). Despite the
negative stereotypes Kumar used his knowledge of Islam and understanding of United States
policy-making to take action for equality.
Kumar and his brothers are very active through clubs and athletics in school. All three ran
track and cross-country and Kumar played varsity tennis. In middle school Kumar sang choir, to
become more involved and get to know more people, as he had just moved to the United States.

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In high school he joined National Honor Society, which has an academic and service aspect.
Kumar was active with the Debate Team where he competed with other schools by arguing
pressing social topics at meetings. This was particularly important to Kumars father because he
thought it was important to learn how to be good at public speaking a value that could have
come from Kumars parents own discomfort with English which limited their friendships and
employment (Personal Interview). At the University level Kumar wants to be a member of the
pre-med club at UW but doesnt have time, a common story among youth who also have to
balance rigorous academics and high parental expectations with their engagement.
While Kumar is not yet a citizen he has already taken more political action than many of
his peers. He is involved with Young Democrats at the University of Washington where he
attends their meetings and listens to guest speakers. This was particularly exciting for Kumar
during the presidential election season in 2012. Even though he is not a citizen he is very excited
to participate in the democratic process when he does finally gain documentation. Last summer
he also had the opportunity to intern for a Congresswoman who represents Maryland in the US
House of Representatives. During this three month internship Kumar organized events, answered
calls from citizens, and attended lectures in Washington DC. Kumar strongly emphasized during
our interview that his political engagement was the cornerstone of his identification as an
American. He understands the plight of the American citizens and can directly relate to how the
United States government operates as a result of his participation.
Kumar has been active in giving back to the communities in which he lives through his
time and monetary donations. When he lived in Maryland he volunteered for more than 500
hours over a span of five years with retirement home for elderly people with disabilities.
Currently, at the University of Washington he participates in the philanthropy of the Greek

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system through donations to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research and the Red Cross. He also
donates blood regularly, including a double red cell donation. Along with the volunteer aspect of
the Greek system, Kumar holds leadership positions in his Fraternity on the Executive
committee. During the past school year he has been in charge of arranging the social events for
the house and will be working as rush chair over the summer. All of this participation involves
improving the community and interacting with native-born Americans.
In terms of transnationalism, the Mahmood family does send money back to Pakistan.
They do not get along with much of their extended family because of jealousy, but they are still
close with Kumars great aunt who is a retired professor in Pakistan. She does not need the
money that is sent back, so instead it is donated to young women who come from poor families
to pay for their education. Even though Kumar claims that his family doesnt keep track of
current events nor do they keep in contact with people from their home country, they still send
back donations to help the less privileged that live there because they hold high value for
education. The sending of remittances is very important to many immigrant groups that we read
about, particularly the Filipino and Latino families who immigrate in search of a better life and
feel obligated to help out those less fortunate in the homeland. For the Filipino community
sending remittances to secure a better quality of life for ones family back home is widely
perceived as a migrants obligation (Espiritu 52). While the Mahmood family does not send
money to support family they still feel an obligation to help the community back in Pakistan. It is
an important distinction to note that Kumars parents feel this obligation, but when I inquired
about his decisions he feels more strongly about helping the American community to which he
belongs.
Developing Identity and an Engaged Mindset

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From the interview that I conducted with Kumar it seems that much of his civic
engagement was learned from his parents. They pushed him to be involved in many groups
because they believed that it was important for building a competitive resume for college. His
parents did not participate in any organizations in the United States, but they were more active
back in Pakistan. Kumars father was the president of the student body at the University of
Punjab while he studied Economics. Kumar acknowledges his parents role in his civic mindset
when he says, my parents always taught me to be aware of whats happening politically
wherever I am (Personal Interview). Kumar thinks that he learned more from his peers and as
he calls her, his white mom, his best friends mother. He greatly values her opinion and often
turns to her for advice. She is highly engaged in the community as a member of the navy
stationed in Texas, and Kumar says that she taught him that it is important to do your part
through voting or what not (Personal Interview). He discusses politics and engagement with his
friends often, and has used his engagement to build deeper connections with peers, with whom
he relates to on a deeper level than members of his ethnic community.
Kumar Mahmood engages civically to a greater degree than many of his native born
peers. He chooses to be involved in religious activism, school organized clubs and athletics,
political movements, and charitable contributions of time and money. Through all of this
involvement Kumar has assimilated into America and has developed an appreciation for his
American identity. Other studies find similar results, that immigrants who acculturate and
assimilatepromote an American identity (Schildkraut 290). The civic engagement of such
immigrants is twofold in that those American identifiers [are] the most likely to register and
vote and, like in Kumars case, engaging helps form the American identity (Schildkraut 297).
Kumars active participation in political and community life in each community in which he has

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lived in the United States has led to a gradual loss of Pakistani identity to be replaced with an
American one. His American identity then facilitates greater participation in civic life to ensure
that his community is a place of which he can be proud.
The Family Struggle to Maintain the Ethnic Identity
Through his involvement and his own personal sentiments it is clear that Kumar
identifies himself as wholly American, without even considering a hyphenated identity of
Pakistani American. At the same time, Kumar tells many stories of his parents yelling at him for
destroying the integrity of the family by becoming more acclimated to Western practices
(Personal interview). While his parents value the resources available in the United States they
are suspicious of American family life and fearful of bad influences from their children's peers,
a theme that is found in many Pakistani, Indian and Asian immigrant families (Williams 190). In
order to prevent full assimilation Kumars parents have implemented a number of cultural
restrictions upon him so that he will retain his Pakistani ethnic identity and give up the American
identity that he has embraced. Kumar highlights two main restrictions that his parents emphasize
that have also been discussed in the course texts: choosing his career path and an arranged
marriage. While he acknowledges that Pakistan is his place of birth he believes that many of the
values of Pakistani culture contradict his more liberal American mindset and so they cannot exist
in unison.
Kumars parents are very controlling of his education, especially since this was their
main reason for immigrating to the United States. They check on his grades and class registration
often and insist that he pursue medicine. Kumars mother is a doctor but, according to him, does
not particularly enjoy her job so it is interesting that they continue to pressure him to study this
field. His parents believe that becoming a doctor will make him financially successful and will

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give their family higher social status. This reflects the chapter from Becoming New Yorkers
about Chinese Americans who wanted their children to pursue occupations that held high
promise for financial security and thus were practical and safe (Louie 88). The fields
mentioned in this chapter included engineering, medicine and law. While Kumar has embraced
the American identity on many levels this is one area where he follows his parents wishes.
Similarly, the second-generation Americans from the text found themselves grappling with their
internalization of their parents messages about fields of study as they made their decisions
(Louie 105). Like Kumar, none of them renounced their parents expectations entirely (Louie
95). Kumar has internalized his parents messaging partly out of necessity, because he cannot
legally work to earn enough money to pay for his own education and his parents will refuse to
pay if he does not study medicine. But, at the same time, he has never been asked what he is
interested in, so the idea of choosing his own path is completely foreign to him. Parental control,
particularly financially, has forced Kumar to follow his parents wishes in regards to higher level
education, even if it means sacrificing his happiness.
The Mahmood family would like to stick to the Pakistani tradition of arranged marriages
by bringing a suitable, educated Pakistani woman over to the United States for him to marry
when the time comes. They have even made mention to him that they are already having their
friends look for a good Pakistani doctor for him to marry (Personal Interview). Like Kumars
parents, the Bangladeshi families in Across Generations were especially adamant about the
importance of marrying into a good family (Kibria 103). Kumars parents also discuss the idea
of enhanced social capital, by building connections with a high class Pakistani family who can
support them if they fall into hardship in the United States (Kibria 103). Tying back to the idea
of maintaining the ethnic identity, Kumars parents emphasize that by marrying a Pakistani

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woman he will have someone who can cook and clean for him. They see that the greatest
perceived threat to the integrity of the family is marriage to a person distant from the family by
race, ethnic group, caste, religion, country of family origin, or social class and so by marrying
someone of their choosing they can ensure that the family name stays intact (Williams 190).
Like the Bangladeshi families, Kumars parents want to approach their family relations in a
manner that [is] keeping withtraditions, in this case the Pakistani traditions of cooking childbearing, and caring for elderly parents (Kibria 104). This marriage tradition does not appeal to
Kumar and he plans to break from his parents when they become too serious about looking for a
woman from Pakistan for him. Instead, he wants to marry someone with whom he has relations,
and who shares his American values, regardless of ethnicity.
Conclusion
At this early stage in Kumars life it is unclear if he will retain this American ideology, or,
as his parents would like to hope, it is just a rebellious period that he is going through. He may
return to his Islamic, Pakistani upbringing, choose to follow through with the arranged marriage
that his parents will set up for him, and raise his children in the same manner as he was raised.
There is also the alternate path that Kumar may choose, to follow a mainstream lifestyle, by
marrying an American and fully buying into the values of the United States.
Regardless of his future it is clear that Kumar has taken action to be engaged with his
community which, in turn, has made an impact on his identity. His experience reflects a similar
story from the second-generation Asian immigrants who also have parents who pressure them to
be high achieving and involved, while retaining an ethnic identity. This dichotomy creates strife
in the families, who accuse their children of being a disappointment. Kumar does not want to
identify as Pakistani-American, and when people ask him where he is from he only mentions

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Pakistan if specifically asked about his heritage. He experiences tension with his parents and this
could be even more accentuated as he makes decisions that determine his life path, such as career
and marriage. Kumars civic engagement allowed him to create an American identity, but at the
same time, created a rift between generations.

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Works Cited
Crul, Maurice, and John Mollenkopf. The Changing Face of World Cities: Young Adult Children
of Immigrants in Europe and the United States. New York: Russell Sage Foundation,
2012. Print.

Erpiritu, Yen Le. Emotions, Sex, and Money: The Lives of Filipino Children of Immigrants.
Across Generations. Ed. Nancy Foner. New York: New York University Press, 2009. 4771. Print.

Kibria, Nazli. Marry into a Good Family: Transnational Reproduction and Intergenerational
Relations in Bangladeshi American Families. Across Generations. Ed. Nancy Foner.
New York: New York University Press, 2009. 98-113. Print.

Louie, Vivian. Being Practical or Doing What I Want: The Role of Parents in the Academic
Choices of Chinese Amercians. Becoming New Yorkers-Ethnographies of the New
Second Generation. Ed. Philip Kasnitz, John H. Mollenkopf, and Mary C. Waters. New
York: Russel Sage Foundation, 2004. 79-110. Print.

Personal Interview conducted by Julia Carlstad. Date of Interview: 31 May 2013. Location of
Interview: 4522 18th Ave NE Seattle, WA 98105.

Schildkraut, Deborah J. The Rise and Fall of Political Engagement among Latinos: The Role of

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Identity and Perceptions of Discrimination. Political Behavior 27.3 (2005):285-312.

Web.

Williams, Raymond Brady. Asian Indian and Pakistani Religions in the United States. Annals
of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 558. Americans and Religions
in the Twenty-First Century (1998):178-195. Web.

Zhou, Min. Conflict, Coping, and Reconciliation: Intergenerational Relations in Chinese

Immigrant Families. Across Generations. Ed. Nancy Foner. New York: New York
University Press, 2009. 21-46. Print.

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