symbols, modes of interaction, values, and ideologies that have emerged in opposition to exclusion from mainstream society” (Bourgois 8). However, this counterculture is based on ideology and methods that are self-destructive in the long run. The illegal economy mandates illegal activities, violence, substance abuse and internalized rage. As a result, the culture has developed from an initial search for dignity and a rejection of the limits imposed by a racist econo-political economy, to one that becomes individually degrading and causes community deterioration.
The Sherpa culture is similar to the residents of East Harlem when it comes to their having to self-destruct their own cultural identity and heritage to have access to employment, education and political opportunities. Sherpas and their culture are Buddhist in nature and they are dominated by the surrounding Hinduistic culture and econo-political structure. Sherpa families who hope to advance must move away from their native lands to the cities of India. The urbanization of their lifestyles means they must forgo t
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