Abstract

Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, Vol, 9, No.3, 2000 Introduction to the Special Issue on Domestic Violence and the South Asian Community Helen E. Sheehan, Rafael Art. Javier, and Theresa Thanjan The South Asian community in the United States is composed of immigrants India, and from the Indian subcontinent (primarily, Pakistan, Bangladesh) and immigrants from the lands of the South Asian diaspora, including the Caribbean nations and South American countries. themselves, countries represent In these complex and diverse histories. Individuals coming from these countries are there­ fore influenced by a variety of sociopolitical, socioeconomic, cultural, religious, -and historical factors that guide their behaviors toward themselves and others. Thus, when we try to address the issue of domestic violence in this community, it is difficult to isolate a single factor or set of factors to explain the phenomenon. In­ deed, the South Asian peoples from these countries carry with them their national heiitage and their religious heritages of Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, and Christian­ ity. Hence, grasping the social dimensions associated with family violence requires a deep knowledge and of these varied cultural and religious structures histories. The obstacles to understanding domestic violence in this community are enormous, including