Student Seminar: “American Housing Design and Immigrant Homemaking: Lessons from Nepali Immigrants”

Speaker: Sudikshya Bhandari

Affiliation: Ph.D. Candidate, Geography

Abstract: A house is an integral part of the “American Dream.” With the continued influx of
immigrants in the US, the social fabric is becoming increasingly racially, culturally, and religiously
diverse. This also necessitates a housing stock that can accommodate the diverse housing needs of
these populations. Despite the magnitude of this phenomenon, the problems of connection between
the socio-cultural backgrounds of diverse immigrants with available housing designs in the US
remain unexplored in the literature on immigration and housing studies. This research contributes
to building scholarship on user-centered housing design by focusing on the everyday challenges
of one growing immigrant population from Nepal. The lack of alignment between the culture of
the residents and their home environments is particularly evident for these immigrants, for whom
the domestic domain is crucial to the expression of their culture. This paper aims to explore the
challenges encountered by Nepalis in their quest for culturally appropriate housing designs. The
methods used are in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation conducted within the homes
of the ten participating families living in Davis, Woodland, and Natomas. The criteria for sample
selection are achieving a broad of ethnicity, caste, and homeownership to understand the nuances
of challenges faced by diverse groups within the Nepali diaspora. The findings of this research are
presented using the conceptual framework of Panchabhootas, i.e., the five elements of nature: air,
water, fire, earth, and space, as conceived in traditional Hindu culture. By using a conceptual
framework of Panchabhootas for analysis, this paper underscores the tension between mass-
produced housing design and the ability of immigrant Nepalis to perform their fundamental socio-
cultural practices embedded within everyday lives. The findings of this research demonstrate the
need to design housing that offers more flexible spaces and opportunities for immigrant and other
diverse populations to navigate and mediate their evolving cultures. In this way, this research
contributes to an emerging literature that situates immigrants in domestic spaces.

Watch the video of the seminar here.