Nikki Haley and the manipulation of the model minority myth
Born Nimrata Randhawa to Indian immigrants from Punjab, Haley goes by her childhood nickname, Nikki. Though she grew up in a Sikh household, she has publicly emphasized her conversion to Christianity. She was also accused of listing her race as "white" on a 2001 voter registration card.
Haley's on-and-off relationship with her Indian American heritage is what sociologists call strategic identity deployment. "It's the idea that there are ways of presenting your identity strategically to connect with and gain favor among particular audiences," said Hajar Yazdiha, an assistant professor of sociology at University of Southern California. "Among high status, powerful elites, tapping in and out of an identity is really a political strategy."
https://www.insider.com/nikki-haley...ection-south-asian-model-minority-myth-2023-2