How does social hierarchy get recreated and reified at these desi dance parties in New York?
The social hierarchy is really recreated through these very gendered practices and also through these class distinctions. People often haven’t taken seriously what happens in this dance culture, but I found that dance culture mirrors the larger society. At these dance parties, there is this double standard for women as opposed to men. Women are expected to perform a very demure femininity, whereas men are given a great deal of freedom in terms of the kind of behavior that is acceptable for them or the kinds of style of clothing they can wear. Women had a great deal of anxiety about being seen as not Indian enough because their behavior was seen as too Americanized. I think this is true of many immigrant communities and not just of Indian Americans. I think class distinctions were not talked about as much, but they were definitely present. They are not always so easy to tell; if you just go to a dance party you can’t always tell who is from a working class background and who is from a m
