A Relational Approach to Perceived Discrimination: The Case of South Asian Indians.

This article examines how Indian immigrants in the United States perceive and interpret experiences of discrimination, using a relational framework that considers their social positioning both in the U.S. and in India. Drawing on a representative survey (N=501) and in-depth interviews (N=58) with Indian immigrants in Atlanta and Philadelphia, the study finds that while respondents report various explicit and subtle discriminatory encounters—primarily from White Americans—they often downplay or minimize these experiences. This minimization is explained by Indians' comparative evaluations of discrimination relative to stratification systems in India, their strong endorsement of meritocratic beliefs, and their perceptions of other U.S. minority groups, especially Black Americans and Latinos. The study highlights the importance of contextualizing immigrant discrimination experiences relationally, reflecting broader racial and class hierarchies across societies.