ARAB WORLDS BEYOND THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Why did you decide it was time to write about the Arab diaspora around the world?
My interests are both personal and professional. First, I am part of the Palestinian diaspora; I was born and raised in the United States. This personal history coupled with my career path, as a sociologist who specializes in understanding the multifaceted identities we possess as individuals and groups, sparked many discussions around the topics of Arabs, the Middle East and North African region, and Arab and Muslim misrepresentations in the Global North. During one of the many such conversations, Mariam and I shared we wanted to shed light on the diversity in the region as displayed by the various trajectories from the Arab MENA to different parts of the world.
Are Arab diasporas well established in the countries where they have settled? Or are they still marginalized?
The trends vary, and depend on many factors, including the place of settlement and the length of time in the new nation and other such factors. We do see structural and socio-cultural challenges for Arabs that reinforce their marginalization. However, we also see that some Arabs have been able to flourish despite many of these challenges. For instance, Diogo Bercito illustrates how the Lebanese population has not only settled in Brazil, but they have also been able to hold political positions, in his chapter titled “Can We Be Governed by Someone Who Eats Kibbeh?” But there are heavy and consistent trends of how Arab ethno-religious identity has been purposefully distorted and ostracized. Imène Ajala’s chapter titled “Maghrebis in France: From ‘Arab Immigrants’ to ‘Muslims’,” explains that France is home to one of the largest and most ethnically diverse Muslim populations, yet a closer look at Marghrbin illustrates how they, like many Muslims, are negatively impacted socially and structurally. These are just two examples of contrasting chapters and trends, of which there are many more of the latter trend.
What audience would benefit most from reading this book?
The book is an asset to a general audience and educators alike. For a lay audience, the chapters provide a rich overview of the patterns of emigration from the Middle East and North Africa to different places and it illustrates in detail the many challenges immigrants face. It also notes the power of the diaspora itself and how they challenge social norms, and they resist and challenge stereotypes despite being plagued by them. Arabs around the world are able to express their ethnic values and customs in a new cultural environment. Additionally, the reader is able to learn about how a country has reacted to the presence of Arab and Muslim immigrants, which says a lot about a ‘host’ society’s acceptance of ethnic and religious minorities. Certainly, if one is interested in the Arab Middle East and North African region, this book highlights how persons with Arab ancestry have established a home away from home. The book is an interdisciplinary effort, and it would work great as a core reading in ethnic or religious studies, migration studies, sociology, political science or communications courses, to name a few areas in higher education system.
Which of the book’s contributions is the most personal to you?
That’s a tough one — I feel that I could relate to a bit from every chapter. My parents emigrated to the states in the 1970s, but they took two different routes. My mother emigrated directly from Bethlehem to the states after marriage. On the other hand, my dad moved to Santiago, Chile for a little over three years to live and work as a jeweler with my uncle who had lived there for some years. Interestingly, Chile has the highest population of Palestinians outside of the Arab world — which I found absolutely fascinating. I often wondered, ‘why Chile?,’ ‘might I have family there I’ve never met?,’ ‘what factored into pulling some family members there?’ — this curiosity makes me particularly lean toward Michael Paarlberg’s chapter, “Turcos and Chilestinos: Latin American Palestinian Diaspora Nationalism in a Comparative Context.” Michael explains that although the majority of Palestinians in Latin America reside in El Salvador, Honduras and Chile, comparatively, Chile has a politically active Palestinian nationalist movement. He explains that the political and occupational heterogeneity of Palestinians in Chile supported their socio-political successes. This pattern stands in stark contrast to how Palestinians are received in other countries, even in the Arab world, which was a personal highlight for me. In sum, representation matters; I felt a genuine excitement to see that this level of acceptance and success for Palestinians is present and attainable.
What is the most important message you want to convey in this book?
Middle Eastern and North Africans are far more diverse than most mainstream mediums convey. The book illustrates that even in their migration patterns, people from the same country could have various trajectories. This point highlights the level of diversity that exists across the MENA region, since there is a great level of ethnic, religious, linguistic patterns, class, traditions, and other forms of identity that exist even for people who live within the same nation-state. Identity is complex and Arab identity is no different. “Home” is a complicated subject for people who emigrate to a new nation. Often, we see that immigrant communities attempt to reimagine and reinvent what home looks like in a place that is new to them. We see in many chapters in the book — that food, music, art and the way Arab people identify — even if they hold citizenship to a non-Arab nation as their new residence, “back home” is a term that often comes up — and sometimes from children of immigrants who have not even been to their ancestral homeland. So, “home” is a very personal, political, and social construct — that is rooted in ancestral ties to the MENA region. From cover to cover, we see this theme reemerge. In fact, Manal Deeb the artist of the cover, who is part of the Palestinian diaspora, states, “your heart is where your art is” since her art expressions keep Palestine alive for her regardless of where she is living.
Any future plans you’d like to share with us?
I’m currently writing a book on the identity development of children of Arab immigrants who were raised in the Chicagoland area, which is based on my dissertation work. In this upcoming book, I explore in detail how youth grapple with their racial and ethno-religious identity and how this operates in different domains. For instance, while some Arab youth embrace their racial identity as “white,” which is how the US federal government classifies persons from the Middle East and North Africa, the label is rejected by many. The young adults I interview are millennials, who were all born in the early 1980s to the early 2000s. This particular group has an interesting upbringing experience, since they were coming of age during the 9/11 era– a time when Arab and Muslim identity were under heightened surveillance, prejudice, and discriminatory treatment in the US. I hope to share more details of this book in the near future!
Enjoy reading the e-book here
The opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author/student and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CIBL for Women, the Olayan S. Suliman School of Business, or the American University of Beirut.
