Digital Journal of Science (DJS) ISSN: 3066-3822 Volume 2 Issue 7 www.westlandpublishers.com Introduction Works such as Eugene Gloria’s poem Assimilation illustrate how food, language, and everyday cultural Transnational Struggles: Asian American Identity, Pakistani Diaspora and the Politics of Racial Belonging Danish Sarfraz 1* , Shazia Manzoor 2 , Zahida Batool 3 , Isra Jahangir 4 1 Subject Specialist (English), Punjab Education Curriculum Training & Assessment Authority (PECTAA), Lahore, Government of Pun- jab, Pakistan. 2 Deputy Manager, Association for Academic Quality (AFAQ) 3 Director Training, Punjab Education Curriculum Training & Assessment Authority (PECTAA), Lahore, Government of Punjab, Paki- stan. 4 Secondary School Educator, School Education Department, Government of the Punjab. *Corresponding author: Danish Sarfraz, Home Adress: Gosia Colony, Street NO. 2 Walton, Raod, Lahore Punjab Pakistan. Email Ad- dress: danishsarfraz4@gmail.com Received Date: 15 September, 2025 ; Published Date: 08 October, 2025 Keywords: Asian American Identity; Pakistani Diaspora; Transnational Belonging; Racial Discrimination Citation: Sarfraz D*, Manzoor S, Batool Z, Jahangir I (2025) Transnational Struggles: Asian American Identity, Pakistani Diaspora and the Poli- tics of Racial Belonging. Digital J Sci 2(7): 140. DOI: 10.63592/DJS/140 This paper explores the evolving meanings and implications of the term “Asian American,” tracing its origins as a political identity formed during the Civil Rights era and examining its contemporary significance in transnational and diasporic contexts. While initially a unifying term for various East and Southeast Asian immigrant communities in the United States, its broader application today has both strengthened its inclusivity and, at times, diluted its effectiveness as a mobilizing force. The study highlights how personal narratives and collective movements have shaped Asian American identity, particularly in the context of racial violence, immigration struggles, and the pursuit of the American Dream. Drawing parallels with the Pakistani and South Asian diasporic experience, this investigation underscores how migration, racial discrimination, and socio-political dynamics have influenced identity formation among Pakistani expatriates, particularly in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and the Middle East. Much like Asian Americans, Pakistani immigrants and their descendants negotiate transnational identities, balancing cultural heritage with the pressures of assimilation. The post-9/11 era has further exacerbated these challenges, exposing Asians particularly Pakistanis, racial profiling, and xenophobic state policies. The experiences of women in both communities also reveal striking similarities, with diasporic Pakistani women navigating gendered expectations of loyalty, obedience, and sacrifice within marriage and family structures, mirroring the historical struggles of Japanese and other Asian women in immigrant societies. Through an analysis of literature, poetry, and cultural narratives, this paper examines how racialized immigrant communities grapple with the pressures of assimilation, the fight against discrimination, and the need for cultural preservation. practices become battlegrounds for identity, reflecting the shared anxieties of being visibly different in a foreign land. Similarly, Pakistani migrants experience the emotional burden of forced assimilation, where the Review Article Abstract