Abstract: This paper studies the cultural integration of the refugees of Afghanistan in India, which focuses on the way of their dealing with identity, adaptation and belonging through everyday practices. Through primary data collection from 203 refugees who are living in Delhi, the research finds out four important indicator of cultural Integration that includes language learning, clothing, food and marriage norms within the social and cultural context of the host society. Structured questionnaire and descriptive statistical analysis through SPSS is used to apply Ager and Strang’s (2008) Indicator of Integration framework to assess the identity continuation, social connection and cultural facilitators of the refugees. Findings show that language acquisition has a key role in access to work, communication and social participation. Although there is challenges of language for elders and those how come from limited educational backgrounds, most of the respondents are talking about their fluency and proficiency in Hindi and English. Clothing acts as a symbol for cultural preservation and also strategic adaptation, where refugees are wearing both Indian and Afghanistan’s style to keep the balance and acceptance. Through food they show their cultural flexibility in which they keep their traditions as well as change the recipes with Indian taste and share food with Indian neighbors. Marriage norms underlines a concern between openness and endogamy among the families which shows some changes in social values due to long period of displacement. Generally, the study highlights that cultural integration of the refugees of Afghanistan in India is neither a complete assimilation nor totally exclusion. It is a dynamic process which they form based on the opportunity and structure of the host society. This study provides a meaningful overview about the refugee integration in South, and underscores the everyday practice as an important pathway to cultural preservation and social inclusion.

Keywords: Afghanistan,refugee, cultural integration, identity, language, food, clothes, marriage.