Bhatt discussed her new book, Roots and Reflections: South Asians in the Pacific Northwest, in which she and co-author Nalini Iyer draw on oral histories from the South Asian Oral History Project at the University of Washington Libraries, archival material, and popular culture representations to explore the various routes that brought South Asians to the Pacific Northwest, their motivations for leaving their homelands, and their experiences upon arrival.

“We’re interested in thinking about how we can use the stories of contemporary immigrants to shed light on older histories of migration, as well as thinking about contemporary debates about immigration more generally,” Bhatt said.

The interview can be heard here.