Abstract
The Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims, commonly known as Ismailis, are a sect within the Shia branch of Islam, making up a very small percent of the population of Muslims all over the world. In this thesis, I focus on understanding who the Ismailis of South Asian descent are in the United States, and what their Ismaili identity means to them, given the fact that the Ismaili identity is complicated through historical events, migration, race and modernization. The methods I used to explain the identity of being an Ismaili of South Asian descent residing in the United States were both literary-based research and interview-based research. Though the thesis does focus on South Asian Ismaili Identity in the United States, the main focus within South Asian Ismaili Identity is on those who have ties specifically to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Focus has been placed on these three countries in particular due to the backgrounds of all thirty of the interviewees being traced back to these three countries eventually. As a result of my interviews, I found that for older generations who were interviewed, Ismaili identity was complicated through history and migration, as well as through language.. Despite any changes or barriers, a sense of community remained constant amongst people who had common experiences. Even though many older generations of Ismailis had moved to the United States, their Ismaili identity remained “intact,” as opposed to younger generations of Ismailis who were born or brought up in the United States with a lack of an all-encompassing Ismaili community to grow up in.