Thursday, 2/13 @ 4:00pm in HBL Class of 1947 Room
PAWAN DHINGRA, Tufts University
“LIFE BEHIND THE LOBBY: Indian American Motel Owners and the American Dream”
Asian Indian Americans have come to own about half of the nation’s motels - this is probably the largest ethnic enterprise in the nation's history. Their success is a testament to their ability to get along well with customers rather than be engaged in perpetual conflict. Yet, conflictual relations are always possible, according to owners. Indian Americans’ prolific representation in these businesses does not mean a lack of inter-group tensions but instead signals their ability to get around tensions through a careful deployment of labor and cultural symbols.
Co-sponsored with UConn/Sociology and UConn/India Studies Program, this is a designated Honors Event; Life Behind the Lobby (Stanford Univ. Press, 2012) will be available for purchase on-site, courtesy of the UConn Co-Op Bookstore.
For more information, contact: Ms. Fe Delos-Santos at fe.delos-santos@uconn.edu