Understanding the Coconut Generation: Ministry to the Americanized Asian Indians is a multidisciplinary study of the Indian American experience, including a brief historical review, demographical data, psycho-social analysis, anthropological and theological reflections, results of a web-based survey and many practical lessons for Christian ministry.
Sam also has a Coconut Generation blog, and there’s now a South Asian Connection featuring evangelist TV Thomas. [Read more] about how I first started grappling with my “coconut” identity.
That was when I first heard the term “Coconut” to describe someone who felt/acted “white” on the inside, while being “brown” on the outside (by analogy with Oreo for blacks and Banana for Chinese). We used the term more humorously than pejoratively, but it was certainly apt. In fact, working with SAYN was virtually the only time I was really conscious of my Indian heritage (before getting married, of course!).